


The One Life you can't Live

by Bird_Of_Scarlet



Series: The End is Only the Beginning [2]
Category: Escape the Night (Web Series)
Genre: :D, A friendly reminder of how brutal Matt's death actually was, Acceptance, Afterlife, Also I love Calliope too much like way too much, Banishment of demons, Bittersweet, Blood and Injury, Bravery, Broken Friendships, Comfort, Contains Spoilers for Escape The Night Season 3, Crying, Demons, Exorcisms, Fear, Female Friendship, Friendship, Gen, Hallucinations, Hugs, Iron Maiden - Freeform, JC is hella smart, Lazarus - Freeform, Lots of Crying, Male-Female Friendship, Manny's going through some stuff, Matt's seen some wei r d st u f f, Pain, Protectiveness, Regret, Rescue Missions, Resurrection, Reunions, Roi deserves a hug, Safiya is not okay honestly, Snake Woman - Freeform, Strongman - Freeform, They all need hugs, What happens after they die?, Witchcraft, Witches, but I made this so, but they're still happy to see eachother, coming to terms, dance party, funhouse, i have no clue, killer clowns, post-death, she's great, spells, that will be fixed, they all are honestly, we all saw ep 2 JC, well Colleen is there what did you expect?, what-if scenarios, with time, y'know because they're dead and all, yeah thanks Mortimer
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-05
Updated: 2018-09-02
Packaged: 2019-06-22 05:17:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 21
Words: 31,738
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15574614
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bird_Of_Scarlet/pseuds/Bird_Of_Scarlet
Summary: We mourn the loss of the living, but who celebrates the lives of the dead?-What happens to the guests who don't escape? I don't know, be we can always dream.An Escape The Night Afterlife AU





	1. First Blood - JC

**Author's Note:**

> Instead of the previously written explanation, there was one paragraph. A poem verse.
> 
> The first slain in this hellish night,  
> never again to see sun's light.  
> Thought he was safe? He played the right game.  
> But all bets were off when they called his name.
> 
> He read through it a couple times. This was about him.
> 
> -
> 
> The first victim to wake up in the afterlife, but he might not be alone for long.

_Let's go, Matt. Come on, Matt! It's on the other side! Keep going! Let's go! No! No!_

-

All he could feel was pain jolting through his body, and then just as swiftly it was gone.

His eyes opened.

Where was he?

_Where was everyone else?_

Matt lost the challenge. The clown stabbed him _multiple times_. There was no way he was alive and yet here he was, tied to this wheel.

_The wheel._

As if on a horrified instinct he lunged forward. The ties that held him to the wheel, like magic, untangling themselves from around his wrists, then before he knows it he's falling.

With a forceful thump he hit the floor, a cloud of ruby dust forming around him from under his torso. Groaning, he pushed himself from the ground to sit up, taking in his surroundings.

He was still in the tent, resting in front of the wheel that moments ago he was tied on and killed.

_Killed._

_He was dead._

This wasn't the real world any more, but then what was it.

He pushed himself up, noticing that his shirt was no longer littered with stab wounds, but blotched with a blood-like powder that he almost assumed was red glitter, apart from the fact it emitted a faint glow when he brushed his hand over it.

Upon examining the wheel as well, he realised it was smeared with the same powder. In an attempt to get a better look at it he ran his fingers over the patch of red.

It was ice cold.

-

_Not feeling to hot right now, I don't think I deserve to die. Kinda messed up._

-

His own voice flooded his mind, hitting him like a tsunami.

That was his last logical thought, seconds before his brain filled with panicked cries for help.

It was unfair. Wasn't it?

Out of all the hell he'd been through in the past two hours alone...

But part of him knew that wasn't the end.

Teala, Matt, Safiya, his friends who never saw him again after he left that lounge. They were still going through that. More artefacts, more challenges, More deaths? Would he even be alone much longer?

For a moment he felt like maybe he was in the better position here. His friends could be being tortured for all he knew. He was here, dead, but safe.

At least he hoped so.

He quickly made his way out of the tent, before stopping in shock at the scenery around him.

This was not the Everlock he left, but it looked like the Everlock he wished he knew.

Everything looked the same, yet it seemed so much more peaceful. No killer clowns, but no people either.

He wandered through the silent, moon-lit streets, taking in the view. His plan was to head for the lounge, though upon turning the corner he noticed a building with a large sign mounted above the door

_Fat Man Slims_

He shrugged, making his way towards it, but when he placed a hand on the door, what felt like an electric shock ran through his veins.

"What the hell?"

He tried again, with exactly the same result. Shaking his hand out, he assumed it was like a barrier to stop him going in. But why?

Was it like the map? Only showing certain areas, updating after an artefact was cleansed?

Would he be able to get in if more people died?

_Well that was a morbid thought._

He swiftly made his way back to the arcade, glad that he could at least walk in there. He climbed though the entrance into the lounge, looking around for anything that could be of use.

_The map?_

He took the map off the wall, bringing it to the table and flopping down onto the couch. It looked exactly the same as he left it, nothing new.

"Maybe on the back?"

He was right. Instead of the previously written explanation, there was one paragraph. A poem verse.

 

_The first slain in this hellish night,_

_never again to see sun's light._

_Thought he was safe? He played the right game._

_But all bets were off when they called his name._

He read through it a couple times. This was about _him_.

He didn't know why, but something about it didn't feel right in his gut.

There was room left for more.

He turned the map back over, drawing his mind away from the writing. Drumming his fingers on his knees, he tried to think of what to do while he waited.

Waited for what? He didn't know. Just something.

Someone else perhaps?

But who would it be?

He occupied his thoughts with ideas on who might join him next, hopes that his friends were okay, little songs that he hummed to pass the time.

And then all of a sudden it came.

Thunder bellowed through the town, echoing around the lounge.

And the map began to flash.


	2. Just Getting Started - JC

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> JC paused, analysing each line. One swift bite? The clown- the crazy murderous clown- had mentioned a Snake Woman... Perhaps this was her victim. But who was it? It was a he definitely, and JC had a hunch on exactly who, but if they got here the same way as him, he needed to find them.
> 
> -
> 
> The thunder brings forth yet another body, and it's barely just begun.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I also realized that I didn't mention JC's name at all in the first chapter so OOPS fixed that this time around

He took a moment to process what happened, before peering over at the paper in front of him.

He was right, there was room left for more.

Just under his own verse, a second had appeared, gold letters fading into a mundane brown as he began to read.

 

_To the front line he went without fear,_

_Even when his end drew near._

_A sprit filled with so much fight,_

_Silently numbed by one swift bite._

 

JC paused, analysing each line.  _One swift bite_? The clown- the  _crazy murderous_  clown- had mentioned a Snake Woman... Perhaps this was her victim. But who was it? It was a  _he_  definitely, and JC had a hunch on exactly who, but if they got here the same way as him, he needed to find them.

He flipped the map over, realising that his theory was once again, correct. It had updated to feature a new building.

_Fat Man Slims_

_Well hey his morbid thought was right._

He would have went straight over there, if it weren't for the fact he still had a body to locate. Just off the map's centre was a faded snake symbol, and he figured that's where he should head next. He pinned the map back onto the wall and ran.

When he reached the gate, he knew he was in the right place. The snake head loomed over him as he walked forward, a figure lying in the centre of it all.

JC didn't want to startle him, if he was even conscious. He kneeled down, examining the body.

Not just a body,  _Roi's body._

The Daredevil's head was tilted at an angle, allowing JC to see the nasty bite mark on his neck, the vivid crimson oosing from each puncture, purple poison running through his veins and onto his face.

Before he could do anything else, Roi's eyes opened slightly, turning his head to spot JC, before looking directly to the sky, a completely puzzled expression on his face.

"JC? What?" He breathed, seemingly running over what just happened in his head, grunting at the pain in his neck.

"Hey Roi, uh, welcome to Dead-town. I'm gonna help you sit up now, okay?" He shifted to the side, bringing his hand down to Roi's back.

"Yeet." he replied, giving a weak thumbs up, before moving his elbows to prop himself up.

With a joint effort Roi was sitting, still hella confused about the whole  _it's like we're alive but actually dead_  situation.

He brought a hand to his neck, letting out a noise in shock as he touched the blood, though as he pulled his hand away the pain faded away, the blood falling from his fingers as the same ruby dust that covered JC's shirt.

"What the..?"

"The dust... Your wound, it's not bloody or poisoned anymore... it's just looks like that red dust."

"Well... it doesn't hurt anymore." He grinned. Through the process of pushing himself to his feet, his hand touched the spot where the dust replaced blood on the fall leaves, he froze, before slowly standing up, rising to look JC in the eyes for a second, a nervous smile brushing over his face.

"Hey Roi?" JC murmured, looking over the challenge.

"Yeah?"

"What's Fat Man Slims?" He'd pushed his hands back into his pockets, turning back to face Roi.

"Oh, it's like a bar kind of place, why?"

"If we get a drink, can you recap me on what I missed? While I was, y'know, dead."

Roi beamed at him, rocking back and forth in anticipation.

"Let's do it!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one only took until 3! :D
> 
> oh boy.
> 
> -
> 
> Sorry for a short chapter, I'm probably going to do each chapter in a certain format; JC waking up and exploring, JC finding Roi, Roi waking up and exploring etc... (Basically "The Lives of those we've Lost" should be chapter 12 or so). The chapters should hopefully get longer as the character count increases along with more places to go.
> 
> The next chapter should be longer than the first since I have a few ideas to start putting in.
> 
> -
> 
> As always feel free to comment; feedback and constructive criticism are more than welcome.


	3. Here's to Forever - Roi

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Roi wasn't touching it anymore, but he could still hear his own voice crying out in fear. He was so freaking scared. He stepped up to help, and his reward was poison and pain.
> 
> He shook his head, took a deep breath, and smiled.
> 
> He needed to move forward, move on. There was no point dwelling on life when he was dead, now it was just him and JC, heading for a drink in this perfectly peaceful town.
> 
> -
> 
> Two down, a toast is made, and something new is discovered.

_No! Hey! Chill! No! No! No!_

-

He tried to block it out. He really did. It helped that he didn't feel the pain in his neck anymore, but it still hurt. At least metaphorically.

His screams still echoed through his head as he walked. JC had mentioned that if you touched the red stuff at someone's _death bed_ you could hear their last words or thoughts, or at least he assumed that's what happened. Roi wasn't touching it anymore, but he could still hear his own voice crying out in fear. He was so freaking scared. He stepped up to help, and his reward was poison and pain.

He shook his head, took a deep breath, and smiled.

He needed to move forward, move on. There was no point dwelling on life when he was dead, now it was just him and JC, heading for a drink in this perfectly peaceful town. He could go on about how he tackled a spy, and how he found something with Teala even when he was poisoned, the first time. He could try and find something to do a review of. _Yeah_. 70s gadget review. He'd take something perfectly useful and use it for completely the opposite purpose. JC would laugh, so would he. He'd make the most of this opportunity. After all, he'd probably be here for a long time anyway.

He didn't know how JC looked so calm, just chatting about his own challenge, commenting on how, looking back, it was kind of funny. Safiya got a pie to the face and then chugged a ketchup bottle all while Teala was calling her "Sofia" over and over again instead of Safiya. With Roi's input they both concluded that _Safiya Nygaard was totally a badass_. He didn't even seem mad at Matt, quoting him with something along the lines of "Don't tie him up too tight, he's coming with me", which Roi suppressed the urge to "awhh" at.

When they reached Fat Man Slims JC let Roi go first, as if he was hesitant to even touch the door. He pushed it open, strolling inside like a cowboy into a saloon. He accepted that it would look cooler if there were other people to gasp in awe at his arrival, but he could only dream. JC set about on investigating the building while Roi headed straight to the bar. Even if just for water.

Could they actually eat and drink in the afterlife? Well he'd find out soon enough.

"What'd'ya want?" He called out, the sound of glass filling the air as he inspected each bottle.

"Water would be great, thanks." JC replied, walking back into the main room, absentmindedly looking around, before heading up the stairs.

He quickly found two bottles of water in a mini-fridge under the bar, before pausing, his gaze wandering to a set of small compartments underneath the table's surface.

"Yo, dude, come look at this." Roi popped up from behind the bar, waving his friend over, before squatting back down again as JC sat down beside him.

"What do you think it is?" He murmured, pulling on each if the small knobs that _looked_ like they would open the petite cabinets.

Whereas Roi started from the right heading back, JC started at the first flap, and it seamlessly fell open, much to the boys' surprise. He reached in, bring out a silver key, with a wooden peace symbol hanging from its keychain.

Roi quickly tried the next box, revealing a similar key, this time paired with a bronze motorbike charm, which he marvelled at with the curiosity that a child gave to a brand new toy.

"I wonder what they unlock?" He mused, as JC fiddled with the other boxes to no avail.

"Well there's a door leading upstairs to something, but it seems to be boarded off. I say we hold onto these and just relax for a bit."

Roi nodded in agreement, slipping the key into his pocket. They'd just gotten out of solving puzzles, why would they dive back in now? He hopped up, grabbing the two bottles and sliding into a booth opposite JC.

He took off the lid, holding it up above the table between them.

"To living death to its fullest?" He grinned, getting a laugh out of JC.

"Cheers to that." Their bottles clinked, before they both started into their drinks, somewhat relieved that _yes you can indeed drink in the afterlife_.

"So... what'd I miss?"

Roi was more than happy to tell him about everything that had happened. He told JC everything he could remember, suits in the lounge, getting bitten, feeling hopeless, Teala getting bitten, Matt coming back with a cure, playing _Jenga: Snakes with a side of Death Edition_ , proving himself as the Daredevil by sacrificing his safety for Matt, the tower falling, the shock voting result and then the challenge. It was safe to say his mood had fallen by the end of the tale.

"So... I should be glad I died first?"

He knew JC was trying to lighten the mood, and it worked. He laughed, shrugging.

"I mean, you _did_ miss me chasing after and tackling a spy." He beamed, not caring if it was the third time he'd mentioned it, _he was still hella proud of that_.

"Yeah... But was there anything you found, maybe a way out? Something to help?"

Something in Roi's head hit rewind. Teala. He'd found something with Teala.

"Yeah, we found a clue to something, but we couldn't fully solve the puzzle before Matt came back with the antidote and we headed off to find the others."

"Well, hopefully that's something good- wait."

"What?" Roi turned around to see what JC was focused on, it seemed to be the clock.

"It's been roughly an hour. Brace yourself."

Before he could question it, the deafening sound of thunder boomed from outside, causing JC to flinch and Roi to dive under the table, clinging to his knees.

"What the freak was that? Are we about to die again?"

"We need to get to the map." JC replied in his same chill voice, causing Roi to wandering if _anything fazed this man_.

"What- why?"

"I think club dead just gained a new member."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 2:30. I don't know if I should be proud at this point.
> 
> -
> 
> Woo slightly longer chapter! The next one will be shorter since it has less time to cover but hey that's how it goes. I hope I got Roi semi-accurate but either way this was hella fun to write and now I want to give him a hug. Hope you enjoyed!
> 
> -
> 
> As always, please comment! Feedback or just to leave an opinion, I'm all ears.
> 
> (Also ignore the notes below these, they are from the first chapter and I don't know how to remove them chapters other than the one they apply to.)


	4. Three's a Pact - Roi

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Before he could even get a good look at it JC began to mutter the words aloud. 
> 
> Third time in danger just wasn't the charm,  
> Even though she'd done no harm.  
> Tried so hard to plead her case,  
> Hope disappeared without a trace.
> 
> "So it's a she..."  
> "Who's a she?"  
> "The next victim, the person we're looking for. It's one of the girls."
> 
> -
> 
> Just because they're dead doesn't mean they're out of the woods yet...
> 
> And then there were three, but a rescue mission might be in order.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A chapter in which JC does a Nikita, but for a good reason this time, and Roi is 'still' the Daredevil, he's proved that enough already.

JC ran ahead, Roi trailing behind as they ran full speed back to the lounge. Hell, JC had been so insistent on leaving immediately that he still had his bottle with him, one hand pressed over the top to prevent any water splashing out.

When they reached the hideout JC headed straight for the map, flipping it over and watching it glow.

"What the- oooo."

To say Roi was fascinated was a slight understatement. He watched wide-eyed as golden lettering appeared, before turning into dark brown lines of ink. Before he could even get a good look at it JC began to mutter the words aloud.

 

_Third time in danger just wasn't the charm,_

_Even though she'd done no harm._

_Tried so hard to plead her case,_

_Hope disappeared without a trace._

 

"So it's a she..."

"Who's a she?"

"The next victim, the person we're looking for. It's one of the girls."

"What- then who? And what did it mean third time? No one's been in three challenges yet."

"Third time in danger... Didn't you say something earlier about the vote, that most people were shocked?"

"Yeah because Nikita was chosen."

"Why were they shocked?"

"We all thought it was going to be Teala."

"That's it."

"What?"

JC just looked at him, and then it clicked.

"OH SNAP _TEALA_."

"Yeah- now there's gonna be a small symbol of something on the map, we need to find it."

With that JC flipped the map over, but something was off.

"Why is this covered in _farts_?"

JC scoffed at the joke, but for the first time, both of them were baffled.

"I don't know, it might not be good though. Anyway, what's new, Shag's motel and-" Roi found it first, the new location, and the symbol.

"The Man with No Name's Lair. That's where Teala is?"

"Seems like. First though, I want to head to Fat Man Slims."

"Why?" Roi sensed that he had a hunch, and the moment they walked out of the arcade, he knew what it was about.

A faint green mist rolled across the ground, he bent down to get a closer look, but was immediately pulled back up again by JC, stumbling slightly.

"What was that for?" He teetered, holding onto to JC's shoulder as he regained his balance, grinning.

"From the look on your face it seems the fog may make you dizzy, we're going to get stuff to make gas masks."

Before he could even fully process the answer, JC had grabbed his wrist and dragged him all the way to Fat Man Slims where the other bottle was still sat on the table.

"Drink up." JC handed him the water while he looked for something to act as protection. Roi took a sip of the liquid before coughing, a wisp of smoke exiting his mouth and disappearing, his head felt much better. He looked over to see that JC had noted his reaction, nodding.

"Grab another water, I think we might need it."

Roi did so, grabbing a new bottle before JC passed him a cloth, grabbed his wrist again and bolted out of the doors toward the marked spot on the map.

After a minute or so they reached a bridge, though what was past it he honestly didn't know. The mist had become a smog, swirling up to waist height rather than at foot level. JC tied the cloth around his nose and mouth, rather than just holding it. Roi followed his lead. He could just about hear what JC was saying through the thick cloth, enough to understand him.

"We need to get in, and get Teala out. She'll probably be awake by now, and if a small bit of that mist made you dizzy, then we'll likely need to help her walk too. Leave the water here, she's not going to be able to drink it until she's in a place where she won't _instantly inhale_ more gas."

Roi nodded, before offering his hand, so they wouldn't get split up. JC took it as they crossed the bridge, constantly looking around.

"Will we even be able to _see Teala_ in this fog I mean-"

JC held up his other hand, motioning for him to listen.

In the distance they could hear it. Words followed by a mixture of sobs and screams.

'"Stay back! Stop! Let go!"'

_He knew that voice._

They picked up the pace, the sounds guiding them to a tall tree where the fog parted to reveal a girl thrashing side to side, hands at her neck, tears streaming down her face.

_Teala..._

Her eyes were glued open, filled with a green glow, puffs of lime mist coming out from every breath.

Roi was almost too scared to move. _Almost_. He _was_ the Daredevil after all.

He moved forward to calmly, whispering her name again and again in the hopes that, just like him, she'd wake up.

She didn't.

When he got too close she struck out even harder, narrowly missing Roi's head. He looked up to JC for an answer, and he got one.

"Grab her."

They both lunged forward, grabbing an arm each, before hauling her up. She kicked out even harder, but neither of them were letting go anytime soon.

They half-dragged-half-carried her back to the bridge, overwhelmed with relief as the mist faded from sight, leaving just the moon-lit roads once more.

But Teala was still _really not okay_. She'd become quieter, reducing to silent, shaking sobs. They set her down gently, Roi steadying her as much as he could while JC stood up, pulling off his make-shift mask.

"I'll get the water, hold her back."

Roi nodded, locking his arms around Teala's in an attempt to keep her still.

"Shh... this'll be over soon."

He tried to sound as calm as possible while she writhed, still crying. He didn't even know if she could hear him? What did the fog do? Maybe it was causing her to see things? _What if she thought he was the monster?_

He almost wanted to let go, but then JC ran back over and he remembered why he was doing this. _This was to save Teala._

She squirmed even more as JC gently brought the bottle closer. Roi tried his best to stop her from moving, and eventually the water made its way to her lips. She heaved forward, with enough strength to almost throw Roi forward, as she retched, a mass of green fumes and red dust emerging from her lungs. After a couple coughs she seemed to be breathing normally again.

Roi moved to kneel beside her, patting her back to help get rid of anything left.

"Water?" JC crouched down, offering up the bottle to a back-to-brown eyed and very confused looking Teala, who spent a moment looking between the bottle, JC and then Roi, who had just stood up.

He offered her a hand.

"Well Teala, Welcome to the Afterli-"

He was cut off by her grabbing his hand, picking herself up and pulling him into a thankful hug.

He paused, before hugging back, grinning at the fact that, thanks to them, she wasn't crying anymore. He looked up, spotting JC standing, hands in his pockets, just a metre way. He opened an arm up, holding it out.

"Get in here, group hug."

He shrugged, smiling slightly.

"Isn't three a crowd?"

" _Three_ is the _perfect_ number to start a squad."

JC laughed, moving forward to join in, wrapping his arms around the other two.

They all smiled and for the first time in a while, Roi felt at ease. He just knew that even of other people did die, he would help them and make them feel just as happy as he did now.

In the back of his head he made a promise. A vow. That he would make the most of this. That life didn't end here.

But for now he was in a group hug. And that's where he felt at rest.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Woah boy actually a longer chapter?? Wow.
> 
> Also only took me until like 1:30 so yay sleep for me. 
> 
> -
> 
> So this is the last POV for Roi... for now at least.
> 
> Also the whole *mist is basically laughing gas/fog induces hallucinations if to much is inhaled* idea partly comes from a story named "We Make Each Other Better" by mintpearlvoice, which is great by the way if you haven't checked it out.
> 
> (And please excuse the crappy poem verses, I'm trying but probably not hard enough XD. if you have any suggestions for a verse please comment! I need the help!)
> 
> -
> 
> I've said this like every chapter but please go ahead and comment, it really makes my day :D
> 
> (Also seriously if someone knows how to get rid of the notes below [they're from the first chapter] please tell me how to do that aa)


	5. Safety Blankets - Teala

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Lazarus?" This time it was Roi who piped up.  
> "Yeah, why?"  
> "I've heard of that... It's a bible story. Lazarus was a man who was brought back from the dead."  
> They all stopped dead in their tracks, looking between each other.  
> "We shouldn't get our hopes up. It's nice here anyway."
> 
> -
> 
> 'What if's can be hard to imagine, but all she needs is a couple friends to help her realize she has nothing to fear now.

_Where was she?_

She knew Roi was there, so was JC.

_But they're dead._

_So is she._

It was as if the boys could read her mind, gently moving back to give her space, but still holding her steady, just in case.

"It's the Afterlife. We're dead."

It was at this moment Teala got the sense that JC was the one who got straight to the point. She could appreciate that. She remembered his death, amidst the thrill of survival there was part of her that thought something went wrong. JC had been far more helpful than she had, even in that disco _alone_ , compared to what she'd achieved in the four or so hours she'd survived, JC deserved it more than her.

Now they were here. Both of them were dead.

_Did she die in vain?_

_No... Rosanna deserved to survive. She would walk back and she would fight._

"Teala, you okay?"

She looked over at Roi, still holding onto her arm. She nodded, smiling for the first time in what seemed like forever. He beamed back at her before waking over to JC, waving for her to follow.

"C'mon, let's head to Fat Man Slims, I think we could all do with some more water."

She grinned, skipping over to walk between them.

"I wonder if they have rose water."

Roi looked over at her in slight disbelief.

"Teala, this is the _seventies_."

"Rose water was invented in something like tenth century Persia."

"Oh, well. Fingers crossed then." He laughed, holding up his hand to show her he'd done just that. They quickly made a challenge of who could cross all their fingers the fastest, before JC interrupted.

"Teala, the clue you found with Roi. What was that, did you finish the puzzle?"

"Oh, yeah. We found something called _The Lazarus Box_ , the others thought it might be helpful. It needs two brass coins to open though and... And we haven't found any yet."

"Lazarus?" This time it was Roi who piped up.

"Yeah, why?"

"I've heard of that... It's a bible story. Lazarus was a man who was brought back from the dead."

They all stopped dead in their tracks, looking between each other.

"We shouldn't get our hopes up. It's nice here anyway. Speaking of which, Fat Man Slims."

JC strode forward, holding the door open for the others as they walked in, Roi making a dash for the bar while Teala slipped herself into the centre booth, relaxing into the springs of the backrest.

"Good news Teala!" Roi sprung up from behind the wood, a tall pink bottle clasped in his hand, causing Teala to throw her own arms into the air, accompanied by an enthusiastic cheer.

"Wait, can you come here a second, I need you to try open something."

She sighed, exiting her comfortable spot and moving over behind the bar, kneeling down beside him.

"What's up?"

"Try opening that little cabinet."

She shrugged, reaching forward to pull on the handle. It opened with ease. She used her finger to fish out a keychain, what seemed to be a door key hanging from it along with a silver spider charm.

"What does this open?" She looked over to Roi, who was holding another key in his hand, his own.

"We have no clue."

"And we probably don't have enough time now, it's twenty minutes to go, we probably only have time for the recap."

"Twenty to- What? Recap?"

Roi just shrugged, pulling himself up before offering Teala a hand to help her up. With waters in hand they both walk back over to the centre of the room, slipping into seat opposite JC.

Roi slid a bottle over to JC, before he cracked off the top and took a drink.

"So, what happened?"

Teala didn't want to think about what happened, but she had to come to terms with it at one point, and the rose water helped.

She told them everything she could. How Roi didn't die in vain, how Nikita came back stronger than ever. Ro crying from guilt and then relief. A _freaking dead body_ falling from the roof. Picking teams and the challenge because _who the hell doesn't spend a Friday night searching for severed body parts_. How they missed out on the coin, how they lost. It was her or Rosanna. She couldn't even defend herself, and maybe if she came back they'd go after her even more. _She would've killed Ro_. Matt and Safiya would have been at her neck within a second. She wouldn't have been wanted. She... _she_ -

"Teala you're shaking..." She looked over to Roi, an expression of genuine concern covering his face.

She wasn't alive anymore.

_But with these two she felt safe._

"I'm okay, thanks." She took another sip of her water, before spotting the clock out the corner of her eye. "Hey JC, it's almost the hour. Did you say something would happen?"

She looked over to find JC with his fingers plugging his ears.

"Okay so Teala this might get loud, it'll come soon." Roi set a hand on her shoulder, clearly trying to soothe her for some reason.

"What will? Can you not be so _vague_ -"

Her answer was indeed very, _very_ loud.

A loud, booming roar flooded into the bar. Teala almost knocked over her bottle as she rushed to cover her ears.

And then it stopped.

They all looked up, even JC was surprised.

"That's the loudest one yet."

"Yeah. Sorry Teala, we probably should have given you a better form of warning."

She took a deep breath, before her speech was reduced to a hushed whisper.

" _I almost spilled my rose water_."

She smiled slightly as she heard Roi suppress a laugh, before peering up to see him looking at JC, pure determination in his eyes.

"To the map?"

"To the map."

_What?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've lost track of time but this was probably like 1:30 finish oop
> 
> -
> 
> Wow I made this pretty hard on Teala though someone give her a hug, at least she won't get ganged up on again here. I kinda feel bad now oh dear.
> 
> I had something I was going to do this chapter but thanks to writing (which I enjoy) I was like hella tired at like 1 am so that's saved for another chapter, and this didn't turn out 'too' short anyway.
> 
> Also someone mentioned last chapter kinda made them ship Roi/Teala and I swear Roi just cares about his friends and oh boy I think I did it again oh no.
> 
> -
> 
> I'm running out of ways to say this last sentence but feel free to comment! I like feedback, makes me happy :D


	6. Helpful, Hopeful - Teala

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Her gaze drifted ahead of them, and that's when she saw it.  
> "Guys."  
> She stopped, putting her hands out to get the boys to do the same, before pointing straight at the set of barrels outside the arcade. More specifically the bottom of the pile.  
> "Is that... a leg?"   
> Maybe they wouldn't need the map after all...  
> They slowly approached. It wasn't anyone she could recognise. It looked like a white knee high sock too... No one was wearing socks like that.
> 
> -
> 
> A body in plain sight causes the guests to wonder whAT THE HELL IS HAPPENING WITHOUT THEM LIKE WH A T.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Also small swear warning (if that's not your thing). Also the violence warning kinda applies?? Well aftermath of violence because, friendly reminder: Matt probably got his skull cracked, so what he wakes up with is t a m e.

"So let me get this straight. When someone dies, there's a loud thunder clap and the body appears."

"Yeet."

"And then we need to go and find them?"

"Yeet."

"And we need to go to the map to get the location?"

" _Yeet_."

Teala nodded, glad that she now knew to prepare for it. Though Roi's big thumbs up did help a little, even if she didn't learn everything inside out, she'd have these guys to help. Despite the nice thoughts, her gaze drifted ahead of them, and that's when she saw it.

"Guys."

She stopped, putting her hands out to get the boys to do the same, before pointing straight at the set of barrels outside the arcade. More specifically the bottom of the pile.

"Is that... _a leg_?"                                           

_Maybe they wouldn't need the map after all..._

They slowly approached. It wasn't anyone she could recognise. It looked like a white knee high sock too... No one was wearing socks like that.

After the silent processing Roi was the first to speak up.

"I'll go check it out, since y'know, Daredevil."

"Roi you don't need to justify your actions, we support you."

"Okay thanks. Do you want to come with me?"

JC stepped back a little as if to say _nope_. Teala just gave him a nervous smile and an encouraging thumbs up before he walked out towards the barrels.

She waited and watched as he slowly approached, before peering over the barrels, down at whatever was behind them.

All he did was scream.

No sooner had he looked over, Roi had shoved himself back away, falling on the floor in panic. The others rushed over, kneeling down beside him to make sure he was okay.

"Roi oh my god you look like you saw a ghost. What even is it." Teala got up to move towards the body before Roi grabbed the back of her coat, pulling her down beside him.

"You are _not_ seeing that. Nope, no way."

"Seeing what?-"

He was genuinely shaking.

"I- I can't even tell who it is. Their face is just- it's really beaten in. There's blood- oh _god_ "

While Teala tried her best to calm Roi down, JC had gotten up and was walking over to the barrels.

"Jesus _christ_ Roi you're not kidding when you said- Holy _shit_."

"What?"

"Guys this is Matt."

Teala could feel Roi freeze beside her. She was shocked herself.

"It can't be-"

"No this is one hundred percent Matt, _shit_. Okay, uh. Run to Fat Man Slims, I'm going to need a jug of water, a big bowl and like three dish cloths, if you can find them. I'll stay here and see if I can get him to breathe."

Teala sprung up, pulling Roi up with her and immediately running for Fat Man Slims as fast as she could. They both pushed open the door and went to find the items as fast as they could. Teala emerged thirty seconds later with all the dish towels she could find and the large bowl, as Roi filled up a large pitcher from the tap. While waiting for him to finish Teala looked about for anything useful, before spotting a large, metal bucket in the corner.

"Ice!"

"Oh yeah, good idea, get some!"

She quickly shovels a couple dozen cubes into the bowl before Roi was finished filling the jug.

"Wait."

She grabbed a small bowl, putting it over the top of the water.

"Now it won't spill."

"Genius. Now let's go!"

They ran out again, supplies in hand, straight to JC, who was calmly talking words of reassurance to a somewhat conscious Matt.

This was the first time she saw him.

_Holy shit._

If it hadn't have been for his brown hair, build and overall "that's not Manny" look, Teala wouldn't have a clue that the person in front of her was one of her friends, let alone Matt.

_Matt._

Matt the genius, Matt the team player, Matt the _picked first for teams because he's overall a great person to have on your side_.

That Matt.

If she was expecting anyone to go, never in any situation would she have guessed him, and to go so brutally as well. The right side if his face was completely bruised, blood covering every corner. There was a large handprint on his neck... He was choked and then beaten _to death_.

"I think I'm going to throw up." She couldn't look anymore, screwing her eyes shut and using her hands to cover her mouth. She tried to get her breathing in check as a warm pair of arms wrapped around her shoulders, murmuring something in an attempt to help keep her calm.

She heard a hushed string of curses before opening her eyes to a figure sitting up in front of her. His face was cleaner, yet still dusted with the same ruby glow that JC had on his shirt, and Roi on his neck.

Everyone was silent for a few seconds, before JC let out a large breath, pushing his hair out of his face and standing up.

"Okay let's sit down somewhere more comfortable."

Roi and Teala stood up, before the boys helped haul Matt up, who seems to be still in shock, only managing to get out semi-coherent splutters.

They carries him inside, setting him down on a couch in the arcade. He seemed to be getting his breath back.

"Where did it go... where am I?"

He sounded so quiet, scared, _lost_. She didn't understand what he meant, and it looked as if the others didn't either.

"Where did what go?"

"Didn't you see it?"

"See what."

"The church..."

They looked across at each other, baffled by everything Matt said. They hadn't seen a church yet, what was he even taking about. Wasn't that where the Carnival Master was? In the real world at least.

But for now that didn't matter, they needed to help Matt. Maybe he could help them, finding clues and solving puzzles. The keys were one mystery they wanted to get sorted for a start.

Right now though, Matt wasn't in the state to do anything.

Though maybe... Just _maybe_...

There was still a little hope left.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Like before 1:30 which is good because despite this being just over 1000 words I was still got this done with enough time to slE E P. :D
> 
> -
> 
> Honestly should I just put (Could be read as) Roi/Teala because honestly I'm now shipping trash I'm not trying I juST AM. Then again if character seem to care about each other they're shipped (Oli/Eva). If they hate each other they're shipped (Matt/Lele). If they exist and there's some kind of moment they share thEY'RE SHIPPED. So technically Roi is just a really nice person who's looking out for his frens but sure go ahead I'm the one writing it.
> 
> Also key stuff next time *m y s t e r i o u s*. Ihopethatwhattheyunlockispcoolandnotjust'ohokaythatwasaletdown' w E L P
> 
> -
> 
> I say this every time but comment are very welcome!


	7. Home away from Home - Matt

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He wasn't alive, that part was for sure.  
> His vision focused again, three familiar faces staring back at him, confused, like he was talking gibberish.  
> They hadn't seen the church... They did say only one other person had been there before him.  
> Why hadn't they seen it too?
> 
> -
> 
> Out of the ordinary, one of a kind. It's not his time yet, but why not help out with a puzzle while he waits.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Scribbling noises as I try to cover up any plot holes as to why Matt is special, while subtly dropping hints within the afterlife itself that may or may not have been used on another thing I wrote if you get what I'm referring to w o o thank you for reading that*
> 
> *Also, as of today (11th Aug) we've reached 300 hits! thank you so much for reading and I hope you enjoy the latest chapter ^-^*

_Pain._

_Greater than anything he'd ever known._

_Even if he tried to move his head, he could hear the thick bone creak. All he could do was look forward._

"Another one passing through... I don't blame them, he's a good choice."

_Good choice? He didn't deserve to die! But what did they mean by passing through?_

"Where am I?" _He could barely hear himself, any word coming out as a hoarse whisper._

"Open your eyes, Matthew."

_On one hand, he could open his eyes without too much pain, on the other, he could only see out of his left. There was a church, the doors wide open. To his left and right were a blonde woman and an Asian man, dressed in brown leather and black fabric respectively. His gaze was slowly directed past the door to a large amber crystal, emerging from the floor and still over six foot tall._

_The Carnival Master._

_Something about this place, this church. It wasn't just any church. He'd seen this one before, even if it was just in the distance. He saw it at the top of the Ferris wheel._

_The Ferris wheel._

_This was in Everlock, it was just across a bridge. If he could get past the pain he could turn around and run. Back to the arcade, back to the others, past the Ferris wheel..._

_Ro. He could run back to Ro. He'd give her a hug and tell her that everything was going to be okay, even if it wasn't. He could spout funny jokes to take her mind off the horrors they'd go through. He could give her another hug like the one when she came back._

_Except he wasn't coming back for her to hug._

_He couldn't._

_Could he?_

"What do you mean another one?" _At this point he needed to nitpick, find all the details, anything to help._

"One of you has been here before. He has come to finish a task that decades ago we could not."

_Matt noticed a table between the two figure, there was a bag on it. Joey's book bag._

_Joey._

_First Joey, now him. If he could believe these two people then he could believe Joey, to some extent. Joey was sent here to save this town, and they did need him. They almost killed him._

"What do you want with me?"

"You're lucky, Matthew. You have friends who care about you, know how much they need you."

"What does this have to do with anything?" _None of this matters if he's dead._

"There is such as thing as a second chance."

_He didn't reply, a single word burning its way back into his brain._

_Lazarus._

_A man resurrected from the dead._

_The dead will rise._

"That is if your friends find their second coin..."

_The statement hit him like another punch to the head._

_They only had one coin. Sure, with his dying words he had edged them on. He didn't want to set up their expectations, but now he was glad that they had at least realised the box could help. Ro, Safiya, even Colleen. They were on his side. Ro wouldn't let him down, he could hope for that much._

"Good luck Matthew... Let us hope your dear friends don't let you down."

"What? Wait! No-"

_Before he could go on he saw the figure smirk and the searing pain hit him again, flowing though every vein in his body. He couldn't help but cry out in agony, fighting to hear his own voice crying out to his friends._

_Look for the coin._

_Look for the coin._

_Look for the Lazarus coin._

-

He wasn't alive, that part was for sure.

His vision focused again, three familiar faces staring back at him, confused, like he was talking gibberish.

 _They hadn't seen the church_... They did say only one other person had been there before him.

Why hadn't they seen it too?

"Hey Matt?"

He was thankful for the distraction, looking up to see it was Roi who was talking.

"Yeah?" He still sounded like he'd run a marathon with each breath.

"Why are you wearing _short shorts_?"

 _Oh_. Oh yeah. His clothes.

He instinctively covered his knees with his hands before answering.

"It was for the challenge. Manny and I had to face off against each other in these different feats of strength and... I lost."

"But who would vote for you? You're really helpful."

He scoffed at Teala's statement.

"It was to find the next strong _man_. Only the boys were up for voting. It was Manny, Joey or me."

The others seemed taken aback by the statement, it was a few seconds before Roi cut back in.

"Matt, I'm sorry..."

"You don't haven't any thing to apologise for, it doesn't matter anymore."

The room fell quiet again, he shivered slightly.

"Could I maybe get some new clothes please? I mean, I set my outfit over by the pinball machine when I got changed."

"I'll go see if it's there." Roi grinned, getting up and speed walking into the next room over. A few moments later he came back, a pile of neatly folded clothes in his arms, glasses resting gently on top.

He smiled, as he reached out to take them his hand brushed Roi's, causing him to flinch.

"Why is your skin so _cold_?"

Roi just looked confused, Teala poked his hand, shrugging.

"Feels normal to me."

"Anyway," JC stood up, "we'll be in the lounge if you need us. Y'know, letting you change."

The others nodded, before getting up and leaving the room.

Matt quickly changed into his old outfit, wiggling his legs in his trousers, slipping on his shades. He still felt like something was missing.

His badge.

It wasn't in the pile. He went to the other room and looked around, even checked his pockets. What was a detective without his badge?

Then he remembered.

He took it off and slammed it on the table, declaring injustice.

It was probably still sitting there. Abandoned. It might even stay there, collecting dust while the town falls apart around it.

No.

They said he'd get a second chance.

 _All they need is that coin_.

He tried to shake the idea off, before taking a few deep breaths and walking into the lounge.

He smiled slightly as he's greeted by a round of applause, giving them a quick spin for the hell of it.

"Okay, first, we should probably head to Fat Man Slims, get some water and your key."

"Key?"

"Yeah," Roi hopped over, pulling a keychain and charm out of his pocket, "let's go!"

-

_It wasn't that simple._

"Why won't it open? It opened for everyone else."

"Maybe I'm not supposed to have one."

"That can't be it, you're here like the rest of us."

He flinched slightly, first their skin felt stone cold, now he couldn't open something else they all could.

"Let me look around a bit."

He moved his hands over the wood, careful bit to get a splinter. It was only when he got to the far left hand side he felt something.

"There's something on the side."

"What? What is it?"

"It feels like an engraving, here do you have a flashlight?"

A few seconds later one was passed down to him, he pushed his aviators on top of his head and flicked on the light.

"It seems to be the letters S.M., anyone know what that could mean? Initials maybe?"

"Well the keys look like they'd open a door so... Maybe it's a place?"

"Should we check the map?"

"I don't see why not, c'mon, before someone else arrives."

Matt didn't question that last part. They all got up, heading for the exit as Matt took one more look at the row of compartments, before putting down the torch and swiftly catching up to them.

When they entered the lounge again the map was still left on the table, Matt sat in front of it, examining over each location.

"This could be something- Shag's Motel."

"Sounds sketchy." Honestly, Matt agreed with Teala's reaction, though he remembered Colleen making a joke about it when the building first popped up on the map.

"Well, they're door keys so this _does_ seem like a place to start."

Matt looked around the group for a sign of approval. They all nodded, before standing up again for what seemed like the tenth time.

"This is the most we've moved in a while, Matt you're really keeping us on our toes here."

He laughed, memorizing the spot on the map and heading out to take the lead.

"Let's just hope this works."

-

_Click_

"Oh damn the door unlocked."

The four of them were standing on the veranda of the motel, at the first of a long line of doors. JC had offered to try his key first, since it was the first key and door number one. Whatever was inside, Matt just hoped it wasn't murderous.

JC nudged the door open, before standing back just in case.

The room was fairly large, but it still seemed cosy. The walls and furniture ranged in colours that seemingly came straight out of Autumn, pale and vibrant combined. Some of the first  things Matt saw were the desk, bed, wardrobe, multiple large bean bags and a dream catcher handing in the corner. Despite their hesitation, it seemed almost like the safest place they'd found so far.

"I am so trying my key next."

Roi practically leaped to the next door as JC proceeded to look about his own new environment. Matt heard a click and an excited whoop from the Daredevil as the second key seemingly worked too. He peered in, noting that Roi had instantly proceeded to throw himself onto the bed face first and was snickering as he slowly dissolved into the multiple blankets and pillows that covered it.

It was the same overall layout, but with a couple changes, the first being a shift in colour scheme to a mix of red, white and blues, much like Roi's jacket. He could see what looked like a set of motorbike keys on the desk, along with a mini motorbike model on a stand. By the time Roi had picked himself up, he and Matt noticed the blackboard slate hanging on the wall with some chalk beside it. Roi quickly picked a piece up, drawing what seemed to be the outline his channel logo.

"Perfect... I'll colour it in later."

He beamed, giving Matt a thumbs up before promptly flopping down onto the bed again.

Matt looked around for Teala, before realising she'd already entered her own room. He glanced around the corner, once again greeted by an almost entirely new world.

The colours had been switched up again to a mix of deep red, gold and some black. There seemed to be folders on her desk, which he didn't really question. Teala, however, was kneeled on the floor, digging through a trunk that sat beside the wardrobe.

"Oh my god. There's like, a ton of 70s spy gadgets in here, this is so cool! A compact with secret codes- Is this a duck with a camera, holy crap!"

"Did someone say gadgets?"

Matt almost jumped as Roi suddenly appeared beside him, for some reason with what seemed to be a red blanket tied around his neck like a fuzzy cape.

"Yeah, we should go through it sometime!"

Roi narrowly missed the roof as he fist bumped the air, grinning like a kid on Christmas.

JC walked up behind them, having locked up, spinning the key around his finger.

"Almost time guys, Matt you might want to cover your ears."

Teala quickly tidied up her new-found treasures, before pressing her hands to the side of her head, Roi following suit.

Matt paused, before doing the same, but when it came he could feel the thunder pierced through him, echoing through his head like his own heartbeat seconds before a fist sank into his skull for the third and final time.

_A second chance..._

_He sure damn hoped so._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so glad I started this at like ten, because I knew it was going to take a while, but it still took me until three.
> 
> -
> 
> WOO LONG CHAPTER. Well the longest yet, just over 2000 words. Y E E T. You can tell I'm trying to get as much Matt in here as possible because he's literally only here for 2 chapters (spoiler, he got better and hasn't died again so far?? I hope?? Either way technically he didn't die fourth now so.)
> 
> Also round of applause for conveniently timed thunder. 
> 
> On a completely unrelated note I'm like proud of these chapter names for some reason, I have them all written up read to be used and idk if anyone even sees them XD.
> 
> Note to self: Make the relationship tags neater. oh boy
> 
> And finally I hope the key stuff wasn't a let down but hey they all- well almost all- have special little places to rest because how convenient is it that there's a motel that they never looked in (I think they went near it once during the ep 4 challenge but e h).
> 
> \- 
> 
> As usual, please comment if you have the time! I love hearing what you think, makes me happy :D


	8. Hell and Back - Matt

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A second chance...  
> He didn't care how nice it was here, there was nothing he wouldn't give to be alive with them right now.  
> Did they find the second coin?  
> Did they?  
> Please...
> 
> -
> 
> A maiden of death and the cure to life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Matt's POV with a dash of Roi at the end because I needed someone else and I love my smol cinnamon roll boi. You'll see why.

They said the map would lead them to the body.

Once he had gotten his bearings they all ran back to the lounge, Matt leading the pack.

When they reached the map JC went to turn it over, before Matt pointed out a new location that had appeared.

"The Dollmaker's Shoppe."

"Honestly, I'm kinda glad I died, this stuff is spoopy, murderous dolls? Hell no." Teala murmured, Roi nodding with vague agreement.

_A second chance..._

He didn't care how nice it was here, there was nothing he wouldn't give to be alive with them right now.

_Did they find the second coin?_

_Did they?_

_Please..._

"Matt there's a thing on-"

"We don't need it. We know the body is in that building, right, so let's _go_."

He saw JC giving him a questioning look. To be fair, he didn't mean to come off that harsh. He silently blamed it on impatience.

_Please save me..._

The part of his brain that handled the trauma of this night was screaming from the back of his head, calling out to the people who couldn't save him. The people he missed. Ro, Safiya... His voice cried out, begging them to find the other coin, pleading again and again to please bring him back. The screams wormed their way into the cracks the strongman had left in his skull like the pressure that had been building up and was sent rushing through his nerves the second that Manny's name was picked. At that point he knew, even if he threw himself at every challenge in an attempt to scrape together as much strength as he had, he was doomed to be broken.

He ran like a whirlwind out of lounge, leaving the others to catch up in his wake.

-

As they entered the Shoppe, Matt once again broke away, moving ahead while the others huddled behind him, watching their backs as if something out pop out at any moment, daring to harm one of the three.

He scanned the walls, before noticing the place where an opening peaked out.

"It's here."

He paced forward, before slipping inside the room. As usual, Teala was the first to react.

"Oh _hell_ no." She dragged out the hell, the background noise being replaced by Roi's repeated "nopeity nope nope"s and JC shaking shaking his head with a firm "uh-uh".

A box taller than all of them stood in the middle of the room, surrounded by flickering candles. If anything Matt would say it looked like an iron maiden, and he did _not_ like the idea of that.

"Is the body _in there_?"

"Must be... Here, Teala, JC you open it."

"Okay, so me and you will stay down here, just in case something dangerous comes out." Roi beamed, trying to summon confidence as he held his fists up like someone out of a boxing match.

Matt nodded and everyone moved to their positions: Teala on the left, JC on the right, him standing ever so slightly to the side, with Roi standing directly in front of the device, if still a few steps back.

"Right, open it up in three... Two... One... Open!"

JC and Teala pulled open each side as a bloody mass of dark fur fell forwards, directly toward the ground. Despite Roi's efforts to catch it, the body hit him, sending them both to the floor with a thud. A large cloud of blood-red dust bellowed outwards as they made impact, causing Roi to cough and splutter.

The body sprung to life, rolling off the Daredevil as she gasped for air, taking several deep breaths before opening her eyes to meet Matt's.

"Matt? What the hell?"

"Colleen!"

She turned her head to see Roi, still clumsily sprawled out on the ground.

"Why are you on the floor?"

_Clearly addressing the important topics._

"You kind of knocked me down when you fell out of that- what is this?"

"Maiden of Madness."

"Whatthehell."

Matt managed to step around Colleen, getting a look inside it for the first time. He had been right, it was an iron maiden. The spikes that lined it looked less intimidating covered in glowing dust, but when his mind forced him to picture blood on each point, dripping down and pooling on the floor, he quickly realised how _brutal_ her death was, and this was coming from the man who got his skull shattered.

"Can I please close it now?"

"Sure."

Teala quickly swung the door shut, before hopping down and helping Colleen sit up, greeting her friend with a hug. JC followed quickly after, but sat down on the edge of the raised platform which held the torture box.

"So, Colleen, _how did that happen_?" He pointed to the maiden, the letting his hands fall into his pockets.

"It was a vote, one name was drawn, that person had to go in. We all had equally a good reason to be there but... Well Joey found the second coin for the Lazarus Box so hopefully that did something, kind if made me eat my own words so it better be worth it, but that screwed me over becuase I thought he was lying to us and- Matt you look like you're about to implode, what?"

He couldn't believe it.

_They'd found it._

_A second chance._

"I need to check something."

They couldn't stop him, he ran and he ran. Each step began to spark, golden wisps of magic swirled from his fingers as they moved through the air.

By the time he'd reached the arcade he couldn't even feel the floor beneath his feet, like he'd grown wings, the halo upon his head causing him to rapidly tire. His heart flooded with a feeling that he could only describe as _power_ , the kind that made him believe he could do anything, that he could be a hero, that he could save them, but the part of him grounded in reality reminded him that he wasn't a hero, he was just a dead man about to walk, just as vulnerable as the last time he died. That last thing to overwhelm his senses were people calling for him, from the living or the dead he didn't know. Roi, Teala, JC, Colleen... He was leaving them behind without warning, but he couldn't focus on that.

Everything started to go blurry, gold flecks reflecting a bright glow into his eyes. He was actually glad to be wearing his tinted glasses or else he'd probably go blind.

Then, in the distance, in a space not flooded with light, he could almost see her.

_Ro... I'm coming._

-

"Matt?"

JC had walked out first, Roi and Teala staying either side of Colleen, just in case.

"Matt? MatPat?"

There was no reply.

They all began to call, but there was still no one responding.

"He can't have gone far. Matt!"

"Yeah, why did he run off anyway?"

"I have no clue, I mentioned that Joey found the last Lazarus coin and he suddenly dashed out of there."

Roi stopped dead in his tracks, calling out not the name they were searching for, but the one that had been in the back of his mind since Teala brought it up just hours ago.

" _Lazarus_."

They all turned to him.

"Lazarus?"

"I know where Matt is."

"Where?"

He looked up at the, mixture of overwhelming joy and mild pain rising in his eyes.

"They have the two coins right? They must have opened the Lazarus Box."

"Roi what do you mean?"

"Lazarus, a man brought back from the dead." Teala had caught on, echoing his earlier statement. He grinned back at her as she realized what he meant.

"He's gone, he's alive. _Matt's alive_."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> H O O B O Y I took a couple breaks between writing this but overall it took until like 3 am and I don't regret that because I was feeling vaguely uninspired (despite the fact Colleen knocking someone down falling out of the maiden has been in my head since the very beginning) but luckily I got it all down XD
> 
> But yeah woo Matt revival :D
> 
> I'm running out of things to say oh b o y bye Matt hope I never see you again here, I mean that in the nicest way possible, please don't die, that goes for you too Nikita!
> 
> -
> 
> If you feel like commenting, please go ahead! They really make my day!


	9. Mayday, Man Down - Colleen

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Well... what do you usually do?"  
> Was there even a routine? At this point she wasn't scared she was just sceptical as hell. This entire situation seemed almost too good to be true, excluding the fact she was dead after being shoved into a spike box by her friends, of course.  
> "Well we usually go to Fat Man Slims. Oh! We could get your key!" The others turned, starting to walk off, Colleen quickly moving along beside them.
> 
> -
> 
> One gets back up again, but the world of the dead keeps on turning.

"So Matt's," she paused, processing the revelation, "gone huh?"

"Yeah... For now."

"Oh come on it'll suck if he dies again, for him at least."

"Anyway," Roi clapped his hands together, grinning, "Colleen, welcome to the Afterlife. We don't know why it's the town but it's actually pretty nice so what do you want to do first?"

She took a moment to breathe, taking in what he just said. What was there even to do in this town now she wasn't fighting for her life? Part of her felt uneasy, but not because she was in danger, in fact, the complete opposite. Here she was, standing in front of three smiling faces who were _dead_. The weirdest part was, it was almost as if she's slotted right into some kind of giant puzzle, like she fit right in without trying. After six hours with her senses on high alert she'd grown completely unused to the feeling of calm she was now experiencing.

"Well... what do you usually do?"

Was there even a routine? At this point she wasn't scared she was just _sceptical as hell_. This entire situation seemed almost too good to be true, excluding the fact she was dead after being shoved into a spike box by her friends, of course.

"Well we usually go to Fat Man Slims. Oh! We could get your key!" The others turned, starting to walk off, Colleen quickly moving along beside them.

"My key?"

"Yeah," Teala moved to walk beside her, pulling out a keychain with a single key and a silver charm on its loop, "They unlock room at Shag's motel-"

" _Sounds like my kind of place_." She murmured, making her voice as low as possible without sounding like a dude. Yes, she'd made this kind of joke earlier but why not crack it again, she did see Roi almost trip himself up suppressing a sudden laugh so she counted it as worthwhile. Even Teala was smirking a bit.

"- Yeah, they're like comfy places to hangout. I don't even know if we need sleep here but we probably still can if we try. Roi says the beds are very comfy."

"Oh, you've tried them have you?" She didn't know whether there was a joke in that line, but some part of her head was quietly snickering, suggesting it might have been something _mildly suggestive_. If it _was_ a joke, Roi didn't get it, which she took as another win.

"There's a bunch of blankets on mine, they're really soft." He just beamed back, practically hopping up and down.

"So far all of us have our own rooms. They also seem to be themed with our roles which is pretty cool."

"Oh, cute! I wonder how mine'll look, since I am the disco dancer after all." She hoped she'd get a disco ball. A disco ball would be great. _Party central? hell yes._

They strode into Fat Man Slims, JC and Teala slid into the middle booth while Roi waved her over to the counter, setting down two waters and what looked to be rose water.

"What can I get ya?"

As a responds Colleen just leaned over, grabbed a beer from the fridge and set it beside the other drinks.

"Okay. Well, down here are the keys, maybe try the fourth-"

She was already on it, flipping open the small door and lifting out the key inside, a ball covered in little white gems hanging from its chain.

_Disco ball here we come._

She stood up, grabbed her beer and sat down beside JC, Roi sitting on the opposite side with Teala.

"So Colleen, what happened with you. We didn't actually get to recap with Matt so if you had any info on that, it'd be great."

"Okay then, buckle up this gets pretty weird."

As if it was a story time video, she relayed that past two hours with varying levels of dramatic monologues. From finding out Joey was up to _something_ , all the way down to her eating her own words mid-death, she told it all, Ro crushing her in arm wrestling despite looking like a fluffy marshmallow (in the best way possible). Safiya and Ro finding the coin, her rant at Joey. Matt's death and the group then attempting to drink away their problems in Fat Man Slims before resigning to the fact that they might as well look for the other artefacts. Torturing dolls, a marionette made from the skin of a serial killer. These really creepy twin dolls things with knives that chased them. Nikita sticking her hand down a garbage disposal and Safiya borderline electrocuting herself. Locking one of the creepy twins in jail because _screw him_. Joey finding the last coin. The discovery of the maiden and then... her downfall.

"I knew he was up to something, I was so sure he was out to get us and then he proved himself. So they all turned on me."

She downed her bottle before realising the other's had gone silent.

"Glad you missed it?"

There was a murmured, but unified, rounds of "yup"s.

She stood up, holding up the key in her hand

"What do ya' say we crack open-"

Without any warning, thunder cracked like a whip through the air. JC grabbed on to his seat, Teala let out a short screech and Roi somehow just flew under the table. Colleen, still standing had pressed her hands to the side of her head, her wide eyed expression reading clearly as _What the fu-_

"Oh my god I completely forgot to check the time." JC took a deep breath as Roi slowly snaked back up from under the table.

"What the **_HELL_** _was_ that?"

" _That_ means someone's dead, we should head to the lounge."

"Why the lounge? Is that where the body is?"

"No," Roi laughed slightly, "The map just shows us where they are, then we go and get 'em."

"Oh. Sounds easy enough. To the arcade!" Colleen pointed into the air, before practically galloping off, the rest of the dead squad hot on her heels.

_Maybe it wasn't too bad here after all._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1:20 or so, y e E T.
> 
> First actual chapter for Colleen, I was going to include her room but hey it'd probably be too much time in the universe with her recap so IT'LL WAIT also I was tired so...
> 
> The next few chapters are probably going to get emotional S O be slight warning?? Idk anymore.
> 
> -
> 
> Comments are more than welcome! Type away :D


	10. Helpless, Hopeless - Colleen

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Come to the Funhouse, puzzles and play for all the family?"  
> By this point Teala had gone through the fridge, while Roi held the door open, waiting for the others.  
> Colleen looked from the flyer to JC, who seemed to be frowning at the paper, before looking back the writing.  
> "I'm assuming this fun house is not very-"  
> The shill scream of "Holy shit" came from what sounded like Teala, causing Roi to instantly run in through the entrance, followed by JC as Colleen threw the flyer down, running in after them.
> 
> -
> 
> A new body appears, but this one may be the most shocking yet.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Like 1 swear word but here have a warning if you don't like that*

"So, what's the battle plan?"

"I wouldn't exactly call it a battle... But we go to the map, find some kind of symbol on it, and then go to where that symbol is to find the person." JC went over the details again, walking beside Colleen as the others discussed who it could possibly be they were going to find. The remaining names were all brought up.

Joey proved himself. Matt just got brought back. Safiya is smart. Nikita is fearless. Manny is strong.

"What about Ro?"

Everyone took a moment, unsure of what to say.

"Ro's a sweetheart. If anything she doesn't deserve any of this at all but... I don't think she'll make it. I don't want to say it but, look at her odds."

They knew what Colleen meant. Ro had a heart of gold, but it couldn't be used to bludgeon the evil to death, metaphorically or literally. Colleen didn't want to see her go, but in the end, she did vote for her at the maiden.

Ro was the weakest.

And Colleen didn't know whether she was glad the girl made it this far.

She tried to change the subject.

"Anyway, symbol marks the murder, gotcha." She was glad this at least got a slight chuckle from one of them, though the other two remained unsettlingly silent. Probably not a win.

By the time they arrived at the arcade, Colleen almost thought that another second of silence would drive her mad. They approached the lounge entrance, before JC pointed something out on the wall.

"Was that there before."

Colleen walked over, picking up a brightly coloured flyer with psychedelic style swirls in each corner.

"Come to the Funhouse, puzzles and play for all the family?"

By this point Teala had gone through the fridge, while Roi held the door open, waiting for the others.

Colleen looked from the flyer to JC, who seemed to be frowning at the paper, before looking back the writing.

"I'm assuming this fun house is _not very_ -"

The shill scream of "Holy _shit_ " came from what sounded like Teala, causing Roi to instantly run in through the entrance, followed by JC as Colleen threw the flyer down, running in after them.

They all stood these, mouths agape, their faces displaying a mixture of fear and utter shock.

Just a second later she saw what they were looking at, her hand flying up to cover her mouth as she processed what was there.

If she was expecting anyone, _anyone at all_ , it wasn't her.

_Not in the slightest._

_Not Safiya._

The room freezes, no one was expecting this, but in the lounge? Wasn't this a safe space? _What the hell happened_?

All of a sudden everyone kicks back into hyper-gear, rushing to Safiya's side.

"Give her space, don't crowd her- Roi!"

"Sorry." He sprung back from almost shaking Safiya awake, his voice punctuated through pure panic.

JC seemed to falter, even as the resident _unofficial team leader_ , he had no clue what to do, as if his mind was blanking.

"She's stirring! Guys keep the noise down."

They all fell completely silent, a few strained breaths escalating into frantic gasps for air as she grimaced, eyes tightly shut.

"Her wound..." JC pointed to the rip in her sweater, blood already staining the vibrant fabric as it pooled, "She's still in pain- Colleen you need to apply pressure, press your hand to it."

" _What?_ -"

"Just trust me and do it!"

She fumbled for a split second, before pressing her hand over the rip in the fabric, wincing at she felt the cold blood seep into the cracks of her hand.

Safiya bolted upright, eyes flying open as her hand snapped across to clamp down over Colleen's, gripping on to it for dear life. The gaze blankly staring at where the blood had disappeared from her stomach, along with the rip in her turtleneck. She slowly drew her hand away, examining the fine dust left where crimson used to be, before looking around her for the first time.

She seemed to not even register the others, and then her eyes landed on Colleen.

Another flood of panicked breaths washed over her as the others tried with no avail to calm her down, though there was something different, they weren't caused by pain like the last, they were of pure confusion, like she had no idea what was going on.

She tried to push herself back away from them, before hitting the wall behind her, her eyes just glued to a single spot on the floor ahead of her, not reacting to the others. Colleen quickly shuffled around to JC's other side, kneeling beside Saf, taking her hand in an attempt to somewhat help.

"Safiya, sweetie, we're going to need you to breathe, okay. In two three, hold two three, out two three."

She closed her eyes, nodding slightly as she followed Colleen's repeated guidance.

"Okay... Safiya what happened, how did this-"

" _I don't know_."

Her voice was low, barely more than a whisper.

"What do you mean-"

"I don't know! All of a sudden he just burst into the lounge and- I- he-"

She's practically shaking, like she... It strikes Colleen that there's a high possibility that something happened, she didn't know what, some kind of twist? From the way that Safiya's acting it's clear she has no clue what's going on, but whatever it was, it killed her without any explanation.

"Shh... You're safe here-"

"Colleen?"

Safiya's voice cracks, her eyes finally looking up to meet Colleen's reassuring gaze, though his only prompts star-like tears to well up in her eyes.

"I'm so, _so_ sorry-" she chokes up, Colleen can understand instantly that she's talking about the maiden. She puts on her warmest smile and leans over, pulling the other girl into a hug.

"Shh... c'mon it's okay."

She can feel Safiya relaxing ever so slightly, and she smiles. First, they need to keep her calm, then help her figure out what happened. All she can do now is wait, though she hopes Saf feels safe, because after Colleen and the others are done, she won't have a reason to afraid.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This would've been longer but I was VERY TIRED even though I got this done before 1am woo for starting earlier
> 
> -
> 
> *Justifying my actions* Throughout episode 7 even though she regains her composure you can kind of hear Safiya's voice getting more and more panicked (Mainly during the scene in which her and Ro escape the fun house and then when they're talking to the others) and honestly if she's been bottling up all that panic and now she's dead I feel like she may need to just unbottle that fear, which'll probably take a while so here's for Emotional!Safiya.
> 
> But yeah, I'll hopefully start writing tomorrow's chapter earlier so I get more written because I highkey want to try make tomorrow's a longer one. wo o p.
> 
> Also there's highkey a parallel with the chapter titles so 
> 
> *Reading through it this seems very short sorry*
> 
> -
> 
> If you want to comment, please do! They make me smile :D


	11. Clipped Wings - Safiya

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Then the pain was gone. Just like that, the scorching agony left her body as if it was just another exhaled breath. She also came to realise the thing she was clinging was a hand. She gently pried it off her sweater, her eyes focusing as she took in the fact the gash that was once heavily bleeding had disappeared without a trace. Her gaze trailed up to the hand, which she quickly let go of, examining own hands instead. They weren't ghost white, they were their normal colour. She looked up, processing the room around her. She was still in the lounge. After a moment her eye landed on a face she thought she'd never see again.
> 
> -
> 
> Dying isn't as easy for some as it is for others, especially when they have no clue what happened.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> emotions.
> 
> Also kinda gore/violence warning

_Everything happened so fast._

One minute she was sitting safely with Matt, Ro and Joey and the next she was the furthest from safe she'd ever been. With a fish-hook, her hope was ripped away like her breath, as the stinging pain faded out along with her fear into darkness.

Then in a single second, it all came flooding back in.

Her gut felt like it was on fire, despite her own blood cooling down her skin as it flowed up and out, seeping into the heavy material of her sweater. Air seemed to suddenly meet her lips again, letting her shallow breaths spiral rapidly into her lungs gasping at air she couldn't take in, her sense of panic kicking into overdrive. Was she going to bleed out here? Conscious and aware and still so, _so clueless_. She didn't know why she died. She hadn't triggered anything or done anything wrong in the Funhouse, she'd escaped it. There was no logical explanation her brain could come to, but at that moment her heart told her she was hardly in the position to be thinking.

Her heart spiked when she felt something press against her stomach. As if on instinct her top half jolted upwards, curling up as her hands clung to its skin. If this was some kind of monster she would _not_ let it hurt her, not now.

Then the pain was gone. Just like that, the scorching agony left her body as if it was just another exhaled breath. She also came to realise the thing she was clinging was a hand. She gently pried it off her sweater, her eyes focusing as she took in the fact the gash that was once heavily bleeding had disappeared without a trace. Her gaze trailed up to the hand, which she quickly let go of, examining own hands instead. They weren't ghost white, they were their normal colour. She looked up, processing the room around her. She was still in the lounge. After a moment her eye landed on a face she thought she'd never see again.

_Colleen?_

She looked frightened.

_A blood-chilling scream rang though the air as the doors shut tight around her. Even by pressing her hands over her ears harder than ever before, she couldn't drown it out. In the end she'd looked back, tears that she couldn't let spill stinging at her eyes._

_There was blood on her hands now._

Her breathing seemed to fail her again as she silently gasped  for air, her legs kicking herself backwards until she hit a wall, trying to convince herself that this _wasn't real_ , that's she'd wake up soon and they'd all be fine. They wouldn't send demons to torture her for the rest of her dying days.

Something softly coaxed her back from her nightmare. A familiar voice lulled at the back of her mind, telling her to breathe.

_In, two, three,_

_Hold, two, three,_

_Out, two, three._

She shakily nodded, focusing her attention on to the voice as she closed her eyes. She felt a hand take hers, beginning to gently tap out the rhythm it was instructing her to follow.

_In, tap, tap,_

_Hold, tap, tap,_

_Out, tap, tap._

The voice asked her what had happened. She froze, wracking her brain for anything at all. There was nothing. She didn't know.

The voice asked her again.

She replayed her own memories over and over again, the unexpected arrival, the commotion, the hook.

"Shh... You're safe here-"

She needed to pinpoint that voice, her mind linking it to the one person she's seen so far.

"Colleen?"

She opens her eyes, a warm and forgiving pair meeting her tears.

_You shouldn't forgive me._

"I'm so, so sorry-" All she can muster is an attempted apology, choking out each syllable.

She only realised she'd began to shake when the hand disappeared and something warm wrapped around her shoulders. She curled into it like a soft blanket, remembering how to breathe like the voice said.

She could hear Colleen tell others (Roi? Teala? JC?) to run and get something from different places. She could hear them scatter off. It was so much quieter, but she wasn't alone.

"It's going to be fine, remember to breathe, okay? We're going to sit here for a few minutes and then we'll move to the couch if you can make it. You're safe here."

"Why?-"

"What is it Saf?"

"Why are you doing this... I- _I killed you_..."

"You and three probably four others, sweetie..." She even chuckled slightly, "C'mon, we're both here now either way, and you can't change the past."

Safiya looked up from where she'd nestled her head in Colleen's mass of a coat in an attempt to hide her tears. She expected to see some kind of sharpness in her eyes, but there was none there. She simply smiled and used her fingers to brush away the loose strands of hair that had fallen over Safiya's face, tucking them behind her ear.

She gently rocked her back and forth, telling her about the afterlife, what had happened, about the map and how it worked. Catching her up on details she might need to know. After her complete lack of knowledge regarding her death, this update helped ease her state of mind. Colleen took a breath, she was about to begin again before she stopped, like she was thinking of a question.

"Hey... was Matt with you guys?"

Safiya paused, before nodding.

"Yeah, we opened the Lazarus box and there was a harp, it said we could bring back one person who died. We found the coins so Joey and I got to make the choice-"

She clamped her hand over her mouth, realising what she'd just said.

She looked back at Colleen and that's when she saw it.

 _A flash of pain_.

"I'm so sorry, Colleen-"

"You don't need to apologise," She slowly lowered the hand away from her face, smiling, hugging her a little tighter, "he was the smartest. He deserved to come back."

"But-"

"I screwed myself over the moment I opened my mouth and told Joey what I thought of him in that moment. I went with my instinct and it didn't pay off. Matt solved puzzle after puzzle and helped the team, you made the right choice."

Safiya nodded slightly, before she heard the others coming back in.

"We're gonna move up, okay?"

She nodded, breaking away from the cosy feel of Colleen's coat, shivering as the cooler air hit her skin.

She could see Roi now, grinning ear to ear, a thick, light-blue blanket held tightly in his arms.

JC and Teala stood just behind him, five bottles of water held between them, along with a range of straws in the latter's hand.

Colleen helped Safiya to her feet as the others crowded around the central coffee table. Roi passed the blanket to Colleen before slipping on to the couch between the others.

She helped Safiya walk to the table, making sure she wouldn't fall. She wrapped the thick blanket around her frame, making Saf look like one of those "purrito" photos, before sitting down beside her and wrapping an arm around her shoulders.

"So... Should we head to Fat Man Slims to get Saf's key, and Colleen we haven't opened your room up so-"

"I don't think Safiya's up for exploration for now."

She nodded half-heartedly.

_Was she already slowing them down?_

"Okay... Well there shouldn't be long left, so what do we do now?"

"We probably deserve a break so I say we unwind and wait here for a bit."

A single sentence sounded in the back of Safiya's mind.

-

 

_I guess we just wait..._

 

-

What was she waiting for? For everything to be okay? For one of the two people she'd sent into hell to come back for her? They were two best friends and she'd pitted them against each other, and as Manny and Nikita, the one who came back would be coming for her next. Though, if there was one thing she hoped, it was that with Matt back they wouldn't come for Ro.

If she could do anything there, she'd get Ro out alive.

_Ro..._

Even in just a few hours, with that bright smile that shone through lingering tears, the Jet-Setter had somehow flown her way into the Reporter's heart. They'd teamed up together, they'd grieved together, hell, they'd escaped prison together.

But none of that would matter now.

Ro, now once again with Matt at her side, was still alive and breathing, but even sitting in the starlight Safiya couldn't shake the feeling of dread that haunted her since her last breath.

She couldn't help her here.

And that was the worst feeling yet...

_Was that how Matt felt?_

The Man with No Name, from when the start of voting right until her triumphant figure walked through the door, he had seemed so on edge. She knew he was worried, the two friends had been inseparable since the night's start but this seemed like something so much worse, it was as if he'd been voted in himself.

The look on his face when she walked back in told her everything she needed to know, he'd been caught so off guard, though still the first to realise who had just come through the door. The way he'd taken her into one of the most protective hugs she'd ever seen warmed Safiya's heart. She couldn't help but smile then.

_Or Ro?_

She'd seen it again during the strength challenge. While Matt fought for his life, in the corner of her eye she could almost see the smaller girl crying. The metallic badge glinted ever so slightly in the moonlight from where she held it tight against her chest, as close to her heart as she could. She could practically feel the waves of good luck wishes radiating off Rosanna as her eyes were glued to what was happening in the streets. She wanted everything to be okay.

_Was that what this was?_

_Fear, but not for your own life, but for those you love._

Safiya had met a couple of the people here before, but hadn't known even remotely as well as they had known each other. Matt and Ro arrived together and had stuck together all the way up until she'd been captured, along with Safiya herself, by the Strongman and Veronica.

Matthew was smart and Rosanna was sweet, and when the murderous complications of their mission were revealed, she knew this couldn't end well.

_That kind of fear. The loss of all control you ever thought you held as you remain powerless to change whatever will happen right in front of you to someone you care so much about. Hopelessness._

She couldn't do anything here, for the first time she felt useless, like she died for no cause, even if she'd saved a life along the way.

She'd saved Teala.

_Did that mean she'd killed JC?_

She desperately tried to shake the thought out of her head, trying to focus back on anything other than the deaths, possible or past, that had happened.

She edged away from Colleen's warmth, moving back over to where she first woke up.

-

 

_What's going on? Where's Manny and Nikita?_

 

-

The last sentence that passed through her brain, and the words that racked her mind every time she lay a hand on the snow cold carpet, a ruby glow resting within the white, instead of the deep crimson stains that existed in the real world.

She'd sat there for what seemed like hours, letting the words swarm her thoughts, trying to find some clue in her subconscious as to _what even happened_. The others were sat on the middle couch, silently waiting for something Safiya didn't know about.

And then it came.

One of the loudest thunder crashes she had ever heard, causing her to reel backwards, almost falling down off the raised section she was sitting on.

"What the hell was that?" She blurted out, looking to the others who had merely stood up, as if it was the most mundane thing in the world.

"Someone else is gone..." Colleen began, as Roi moved towards the wall. "That sound signals it..."

One of the new things Safiya had learnt of the afterlife from Colleen's ramblings, was that it was not what she was expecting. It was the town of Everlock, but the way it used to be. It was abandoned, yes, but it was far more inviting, even if it was still night. If they could watch their friends it would almost be like spectating a game after you were out.

Except their friends were nowhere to be seen, and the suspense was killing them.

Though apparently not anymore.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't even know how long this took me but hey I started early and I got it done :D
> 
> -
> 
> First off, someone asked for Colleen/Safiya after last chapter so hERE YOU GO HOPE THAT'S OKAY.
> 
> Secondly, you may have seen the latter half of this chapter before. That's because it mostly comes from The Lives of those we've Lost, which was Saf finding Ro is the afterlife after her death. I was sad episode 8. But yeah, that spawned into this. Originally I was going to write a complete chapter and then just upload that chapter as chapter 12 (and possibly Ro's chapter 13 since some of you might have read that story) but then I realized it kind of took elements from 'both Safiya's chapters', so I split it in two and wrote around it, editing here and there.
> 
> Also yeah emotional Safiya w o o she needs hugs
> 
> AND FINALLY! We hit 500 hits! Thank you so much and I'm glad you enjoy it! :D
> 
> -
> 
> Comments are more than welcome! aa fire away


	12. Stars in our Eyes - Safiya

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Where are they?"  
> They. She was getting her hopes up for nothing, it was obvious. The panic surged up, lining every syllable with a fear and urgency that lingered in the air as she spoke, swirling just for her to inhale again, causing the tension swelling in her chest to grow.
> 
> -
> 
> Safiya's still clueless about how she died, but an answer may come with a side of heartbreak.

Roi and Teala leapt up, pulling the map down from where they had pinned it to the wall earlier, when they arrived back with the blanket still wrapped tightly around her shoulders. JC moved the bottles out of the way as they placed the map down on the table, picture side down. She could vaguely remember Colleen telling her about the poem written on the back, a verse for each of the dead. From where she was huddled she could see the golden letters appear on the page. Her mind began to wander, despite the protective barriers of hope Colleen had helped set up, a sense of fear leaked back into her consciousness.

_Hopelessness, the fact, that if someone she cared about was in danger, she could do nothing to stop it._

_Here she was useless._

Images of Matt and Ro, the funhouse, the other challenges, the prison cell, every little detail flashed before her eyes, blocking her senses from what was going on. Colleen was still reading but she couldn't hear her, solid words melting into nonsensical sounds.

Only the last sentence registered in her head.

_"...The purest heart's blood was spilled as the price."_

Colleen trailed off, leaving the group in silence.

It took Safiya a second to realise she hadn't took a breath for the last half minute. She sharply sucked in air, standing up, letting her comfort slide off her shoulders and back onto the couch where it lay lifeless once more. The floodgate had opened and every anxiety and 'what-if' scenario rushed back into her head like a tsunami, pulling every little lasting bit of hope down into its vortex.

Her heart had dropped.

_It couldn't be._

_Matt wouldn't have let it happen._

_Someone would have intervened._

_Someone had to have done something..._

No one was saying a word, as if her own sense of dread had reached each one of them, like the spirits who had invaded their souls so they could enter this godforsaken town in the first place. She couldn't take the silence. Colleen had mentioned the map showing some form of location, and that's what the logical side of her brain grabbed onto.

"Turn it over! What's new?" Though she stood tall her voice clearly gave away the wreck her emotions were rapidly becoming, the same as when she told her trapped friends she'd make the best decision she could when sending two of them for the final challenge.

_Some best decision she made._

Her mind snapped itself back to the task at hand.

"Where are they?"

 _They_. She was getting her hopes up for nothing, it was obvious. The panic surged up, lining every syllable with a fear and urgency that lingered in the air as she spoke, swirling just for her to inhale again, causing the tension swelling in her chest to grow.

JC flipped the map over to the side with the pictures, running his finger over the paper, eyes scanning every detail. There were places they hadn't seen before, but no mark to signal a body. He kept going until he came to a halt, pointer resting just below a small symbol.

The others narrowed their eyes as JC leaned in to get a closer look.

"It looks like some little stick figure thing, what's it... A wicker-man? Wait, isn't that something to do with witches?" He murmured, confusion and an emotion marked _of course it's witches_ lacing his tone.

Before anyone could say another word, Safiya had memorised the spot and was booking it out the door, stopping for nothing and no one, despite the group calling at her to slow down.

She could hear the footsteps pounding, hot on her heels. She kept going and going, cracked images and broken memories still playing on repeat in her mind as her shoes hit the dirt.

Upon reaching the gates she paused for breath, before taking in the sight ahead of her.

Yes, there were challenges, but for each round there were four stations, which seemed odd to say the least. At the far end was a table, _an altar_ , lit faintly with candles. An body rest atop it, a collection of green and yellow shapes, illuminated with a gold and silver glow as the moonlight and flames merged together.

Her eyes were filling with tears as the others caught up, stopping just behind her as they came to realise the sacrifice that lay slain at the altar, out in the cold, just within reach if they moved forward to take it.

Safiya desperately attempted to stop her emotions from spilling out, trying to stand strong, as a hand gently rested on her shoulder.

"Saf, you can take this one alone if you want to..."

She turned to see the faces of her friends, people who had raised her from her darkest fears not even an hour earlier, those she trusted and _cared for_ , sharing her pain with a look of understanding.

She nodded a thank you, wiping a rogue tear out of her eye as Colleen pulled her into another hug, whispering words of encouragement as JC brought up the point that if there was a wound she'd need to brush her hand over it, so it could be removed. She couldn't bear the idea of having to do it, but she knew that if it took away the pain, it would be worth it in the end.

She broke away from the hug, turning back to the gate in front of her. She moved forwards, drifting aimlessly past each obstacle, refusing to even look at them. Thoughts of what could've happened rang through her mind, a place of broken hearts. She didn't want to imagine their tears when she could hardly keep down her own.

By the time she'd made it to the steps, she had to muster every ounce of courage she had to make it up. She remembered Colleen telling her to stay strong, it was almost hard to think that she even believed in her. As she stood towering above it, the corpse became clearer, despite the water blurring her vision.

It took a few seconds for her eyes to focus, gazing down at the small body right in front of her. Resting eerily still, it was clear she wasn't yet conscious, or at least not in pain. She almost looked peaceful, but that warm thought was dashed by the fresh blood that stained her coat from three small, frayed holes, like torn buttons running up her chest. Safiya faltered, unsure of what to do now, before remembering she needed to heal her wounds. She brushed her hand along over each puncture in the fabric, feeling the cool blood turn to powder on her skin as the rips fixed themselves up, leaving a concentrated ruby dust in their place. She sighed, her heart resting slightly more at peace know she wouldn't wake up aching. Absentmindedly, her hand fell down to touch the white fur that lay upon the alter.

It was freezing cold.

-

_Ro. You've been the best friend I could asked for._

_I love you._

_I love you too Ro. I'll miss you..._

-

The oh-so familiar voices rung through her head like a wakeup call.

Those were her last words.

_I love you._

Then again, of course.

She could tell she was smiling as she said it, though it was soft, she was still smiling her normal sweet smile.

No one fought back. Not even her. _She'd accepted her fate_.

_I love you._

Of course that's what Rosanna would say.

Safiya couldn't help but fall to her knees, burying her face in the soft material as she sobbed, unable to bottle up tears any longer. She let everything fall out, her emotions breaking out as broken cries for someone to tell her none of this was real. In the back of her mind she could hear Colleen, holding her close and telling her that she was safe, but that was instantly drowned out by her own blubbering. Her thoughts filled with pleas that weren't even worth making. They'd never come true no matter how hard she tried.

_It was hopeless._

"Safiya?"

It took a moment to realise that was her own name registering in her ears. She looked up to the voice, snapping out of her trance with just a single word. A pair of soft, brown eyes peered down at her, dazed and confused, peeking out from underneath the warm yellow hat that had already slipped down over her forehead. As they met hers, a new emotion seemed to surge through her, a painful kind of relief.

Just as Ro sat up she was immediately pulled into a tight, mournful hug, which she gladly returned, spilling starry tears of her own.

Safiya couldn't help but set her feelings on full display for once, clinging on to the coarse material of Ro's coat as her tears soaked into the girl's shoulder.

Her mind flashed back to when they'd first gotten captured by the strongman and his girlfriend, the latter slamming her baton against the metal bars. Safiya had moved closer to her, wrapping arms around her shoulders as if to say she'd protect her, silently promising to keep her safe.

When she found the coin they'd shared a triumphant high-five, the noise echoed as a cheer, a yell of rebellion. She helped get them both out of that cell, she'd saved a new-found friend and kept her safe, at least for that moment.

_It seemed promises meant nothing in Everlock, or maybe that was just when you were promising life._

"Come on..." She pulled away ever so slightly, taking Ro's hand to help her off the alter, holding her steady as she regained her balance, before noticing the bodies waiting for them at the other side. Even if Safiya tried to be strong again, Ro cautiously lead her down the steps and out of the arena, staying at her side the entire time.

She let go again when they reached the others, launching into Teala's open arms as Roi grinned, before quickly joining the hug himself. Saf felt a hand resting on her shoulder again, turning to see Colleen greet her with a gentle and reassuring smile.

"She's not in danger anymore, we'll go back and talk for a bit, clear a few things up."

Safiya nodded, she knew what Colleen was talking about. Ro could answer the questions she had about her own death, along with give her some peace of mind regarding the others.

When she brought her attention back to reality again, she found herself part of the group hug that had Rosanna at its core, welcoming chatter filling the air. Their eyes met, and the smaller girl beamed up at her with the grin that had landed a place in her heart the first time she saw it.

And despite everything her heart was telling her, screams ringing in her head, a voice stood out now, telling her that it would be okay.

_And this time, she started to believe it._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I started this chapter early and got it done before I went to bed. WOO SLEEP FOR ME :D
> 
> -
> 
> So yeah, emotions. not sure what to say honestly I'm just pleased I got this done without being tired hecc.
> 
> Also yeah, that's the latter half of The Lives of those we've Lost, and I can't wait to get started on the next chapter!
> 
> (The finale was great and it also gave me an idea for a a bonus chapter, so that'll be 2 more after this main series is finished, so if total a plan I have {I made a chapter plan woo me} goes up to about 22 chapters.)
> 
> To finish off, we've reached 600 hits! Y'all might not care but I'm hella pumped, thank you for reading! :D
> 
> -
> 
> Fell free to comment, opinions on the Finale or just feedback for this chapter. ^_^


	13. Wish You Weren't Here - Rosanna

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> For a brief moment she made eye contact with Safiya again, grinning at her as if on instinct. This seemed to made her smile. She then saw Colleen, looking at her as if she was asking for help, before flicking her eyes to Safiya.  
> Ro knew what she meant, Safiya's death was a shock to the group, but what was it for Safiya herself? While Rosanna had time to accept her death, Safiya had none. She already seemed so lost, and if Ro could do anything, she'd help Saf find her way again.
> 
> -
> 
> They newest arrival may have caused some guests to get emotional, but sometimes facing your emotions is the only way to get past them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay, tiredness is getting to me. Though this is the longest chapter yet at over 3000 words and I hope you enjoy it :D
> 
> Also I really like these chapter titles is anyone actually noticing them?? XD

_She needed to be brave. That's what Matt said._

She held out, keeping down sick and a scream until she knew her friends couldn't hear her. She was doing so well, keeping her breathing steady despite the witches shoving her down onto the altar.

_Think happy thoughts... Be brave Ro._

She tried to keep herself calm by running her fingers through the soft fur beneath her. Her muscles relaxed, she closed her eyes as she tried to focus on the candles' smell tickling her nose.

She felt three blades impale her skin, and that's when she screamed.

Like a switch, she seemed to leave her own body, leaving the pain with it. When she opened her eyes again she saw the stars, still twinkling above her, soothing any remaining anxieties. She almost wanted to stay like that forever, if she hadn't heard the sobbing coming from close beside her.

She pushed herself up on her elbows, tilting her head to see a girl with dark hair, her face buried in the material she sat on.

_She sounded broken._

"Safiya?"

The head snapped up, a pair of tear stained eyes met hers as she pushed herself up to sit. Safiya leaned forward, pulling her into a solid hug, continuing to cry. Ro could almost feel the grief surging through her friend, causing tears to run down her own cheeks as she held her tighter, trying to ease some of the sorrow.

Safiya moved away almost hesitantly, eyes meeting again. She was smiling this time.

"Come on..."

She offered Ro a hand, helping her off the altar, assisting her balance as they went. She seemed to freeze slightly, though when Ro looked forward she saw four figures waiting, one of which was wearing a coat she'd know anywhere.

Ro held on to Safiya's hand, leading her past each obstacle, the opposite route she had been dragged along minutes earlier. She only let go once they had reached the gate, quickly accepting Teala's embrace, which then turning into a group hug when joined by Roi's smile, chirps of "welcome!" and JC quickly explaining that this was indeed, the afterlife.

For a brief moment she made eye contact with Safiya again, grinning at her as if on instinct. This seemed to made her smile. She then saw Colleen, looking at her as if she was asking for help, before flicking her eyes to Safiya.

Ro knew what she meant, Safiya's death was a shock to the group, but what was it for Safiya herself? While Rosanna had time to accept her death, Safiya had none. She already seemed so lost, and if Ro could do anything, she'd help Saf find her way again.

The chatter and hug broke up, as Ro moved over to quickly hug Colleen, before hearing someone mention something about keys.

"Well Colleen didn't get to see her room yet, and Safiya and Ro need to get their keys, so why don't we head to Fat Man Slims, get a drink, maybe talk, then do a bit of exploring."

There was a murmur of agreement within the group as they moved away from the Witches' Lair and back towards the centre of town. Ro quickened her pace slightly, moving beside Safiya to link their arms, offering her a warm smile and a thumbs up when she looked down, causing her to smile in return.

The troupe reached the bar fairly quickly, entering in two at a time. Colleen led the two girls over to the bar, leaving Roi for once to the be the first sat down, JC on his left, Teala on his right, chatting away.

Colleen grabbed two waters, a pinker bottle and three beers, placing them on the counter before squatting down again and pointing to a row of doors beneath the table top.

"Safiya, Ro." She directed them with a matter-of-factly tone, pointing to the fifth compartment, then the sixth, before moving back so they could reach, grabbing the bottles and walking back to the booths.

Ro opened hers quite quickly, retrieving a single key, a miniature aeroplane charm hanging from its key chain.

"Awh... Saf looks how cute this is."

She held up her newest find, before noticing Saf had another key, instead of a charm there was a miniature magnifying glass attached.

Safiya turned to smile at her, but Ro could tell something was off. She stood up, moving back to sit opposite the trio, Colleen opting to sit on the table in the next booth over. Safiya quietly sat down on the bench beside Ro, eyes seemingly glued to the table.

"So, first things first, Ro." Colleen began, though her tone was confident, it was soft. Ro anticipated her question to involve a sensitive subject.

"What happened after..." Her concerned gaze flicked to Safiya, and Ro knew what she was talking about.

"Manny and Nikita came back, they said that whoever voted for the winner was going to die and... Nikita won."

The hand that wasn't wrapped around her drink quickly found its way to Safiya, giving her arm a reassuring squeeze. When Ro turned to look at her, her eyes were closed, but a regretful look brushed across her face.

"So it was me or you?"

Ro hadn't thought of it like that, at the time the only thing she focused on was the fact Safiya was dead, but now she was completely right. It was her or Safiya.

"Yeah... Saf-"

"Okay."

"What?"

"That's okay."

Everyone looked toward Safiya, she  raised her head, looking to Rosanna, offering her a sad smile.

"I can live with that."

For the first time in what seemed like forever, Safiya let out a chuckle. She still showed signs of grief, but it was the start of a recovery.

Ro looked to around at rest of the group, all wearing grins that matched hers, Colleen most of all.

"Also," Safiya spoke again, her voice almost back to its matter-of-fact tone, "I was given a fish-hook to the gut by a fun-house man with DID. If anyone was wondering."

"I told you that fun-house was not going to be fun, also, yeah there was a lot of blood, and that's coming from _stabbed all over_." Colleen's statement provoked a laugh from the others, even a small one from Safiya.

"So, Ro, what about you?"

She looked back at Colleen, giving a quick nod.

"Witches. We had to reverse three curses, but while we were completing them Matt, Manny, Joey and I got cursed too, so all four of us had to go into the final challenge and... I lost, if that wasn't obvious enough." She waved her hands, gesturing to the red dust left on her chest where one of the knives wounds had been.

"What about Nikita?"

"She didn't get cursed, she was the only one not to."

"How's Matt?" She looked up to Safiya, gulping slightly, before offering her another warm smile. She missed Matt, Safiya missed him too.

"He's safe, he was even first to finish!"

At least that seemed to reassure her.

"Well what should we do now? Colleen looks like she wants to check her room." JC pointed to Colleen who was grinning, already holding her key in her hands.

"I want to go see the fun-house!"

Everyone looked to Roi with confusion.

"Well, I mean, it may not have been very fun with a murderous manager but maybe it'll be better. What was it like, if you don't mind me asking." He trailed off towards the end, realising that the topic may still be a little painful for Safiya, though when Ro looked at her she seemed to have her composure somewhat in check.

"There's a room filled with candy and balloons, one that's twisted ninety degrees and then basically a mix of a memory game and the floor is lava challenge."

She seemed to have grabbed Roi's attention at _candy and balloons_.

"Yep, checking that out."

"I'll go with you, something new to see."

"So," JC began again, "Should I take Roi and Teala to the fun-house while you three head to the motel and check out your rooms?"

"What do you mean _take me and Teala to the fun-house_? Do we need supervision or something?"

"Well I'm the oldest out of the three of us and-"

" _Are you?_ "

"I'm twenty-five."

"Well I'm twenty-six."

There was a pause as Ro took the time to acknowledge Roi's triumphant grin and JC's otherwise blank expression.

"Well I'm the most responsible one out of the three of us."

Another pause, before Roi shrugged.

"That's true."

Ro could see Teala trying not to laugh as Roi fell back into the excitement of _a room full of candy and balloons_.

"So that's settled, we'll see you guys soon?"

"Wait," Ro piped up, "where are we going? I know the motel, but where is it?"

Colleen was first to answer back.

"It appeared on the map for the man with no name right? I think it's one of the buildings my group had to go to, if not we'll go and check the map, it can't be far."

Ro nodded, before sliding out of the booth after Safiya, Colleen hopping down off the table and moving to stand beside her.

They all walked out, before Ro pointed the other group in the fun-house's direction, and with a wave they walked off, leaving the three girls to find the motel.

-

"This looks like it!" Colleen practically leaped up onto the veranda, making her way to the fourth door as the others came up beside her. She entered her key into the lock and turned it with a satisfying _click_.

"Okay, bare with me, I want to see if I can find something."

With a grin, Colleen quickly disappeared into her room, the door shutting as soon as she'd entered. She turned to Safiya, who'd moved along one room, managing to push the now unlocked door open, before slowly walking inside, Ro following behind her.

They both gazed around, taking the sight in. The walls were painted an otherwise ordinary tan, but they almost couldn't see it with the amount of space taken up by decorations. There was a large desk with a typewriter placed in the centre, an assortment of writing tools from pencils to a thick reporter's notepad on one side, a stack of what seemed to be _Everlock Gazette_ newspapers on the other. On the opposite wall was a large notice board, half pin-board, half whiteboard, with markers and pins hanging in a couple holders on the side. Safiya picked up a blue marker, before quickly writing her name across the top of the board. She smiled, before setting the marker back, picking out a red one and holding it out to her. Rosanna hesitantly took it, before swirling her own signature _Ro_ in the bottom right corner, capping the marker and returning it to the holder.

Safiya was still looking around, having scanned over the bed and searching through the wardrobe.

"Oh _wow_."

"What?"

Safiya pulled out a hanger to show a tan suede jacket, with a blood red ascot hanging around its neck.

"I totally wore this exact jacket in my 1977 video." Safiya murmured, pulling off the ascot and tying it around her neck, before tucking it under her the material of her turtleneck.

"If Colleen has the jumpsuit I wore I will probably scream." Safiya closed the closet doors, before correcting her last sentence.

"Happy scream, excited scream."

Ro chuckled, still standing somewhat still in the corner, glancing about every now and then.

"Do you want to go look at your room while I finish up here, I'll come over in a minute."

"Oh, yeah. I'll go do that now." She nodded, slipping out of Safiya's room and down one to her own, noting that Colleen was still working away at something in her own new lair.

Ro's key clicked in its lock, and the door swung open to reveal a place that made her grin wider than she had at any other point that night, aside from Matt's revival, of course. The walls were painted blue, and white clouds were scattered across the ceiling. A bed covered in blankets and pillows stood at the far end, accompanied by a large vanity, a wardrobe and a trunk sat beside it. Pinned to the wall was a large corkboard, just waiting to be used.

She couldn't help but gasp in awe, racing over to the desk she spotted a box of pins and sticky notes, in the small drawer was a yellow journal, which Ro promised herself she'd write in at some point. She rummaged about some more, the wardrobe was full of more 70s clothes, though the trunk held something more interesting.

Among travel guides and brochures was a Polaroid camera and a large box of film. Ro grinned, picking them up before and examining them. She flipped the camera open, turned it towards her and grinned, snapping a tester photo. She waited for it to develop, looking about once more, before looking back down at the camera.

_She could make memories here with friends she loved._

She'd had her doubts, though she'd tried to move past them. Now though, she was pretty sure things might just be a bit more okay than she feared.

A creaking noise took her out of her daydreams. She turned around to see Safiya awkwardly standing in the doorway.

"So... How do you like it?"

"It's great, look at it. I have a camera, a corkboard, this bed looks _really_ com- wait, what?"

She'd fallen back on to the blankets, though there's was something sticking out from underneath them. Sitting up, she reached under and pulled out a stuffed friend she thought she'd never see again.

" _Blueberry!_ "

She practically screamed the pup's named, quickly hugging him close to her heart, looking up at Safiya with the purest expression of glee covering her face, before looking back down at the purple animal.

"I'm sorry I threw you off the Ferris-wheel Blueberry, I'll take care of you here I promise."

Ro looked up again, but her smile faltered as she could see the tears beginning to line Safiya's eyes.

"What's wrong..?"

She sighed, wiping the water from her eyes as best she could before they were filled again moments later.

"Is it bad, that I hoped I'd never see you again?"

Rosanna couldn't help but smile, she knew what Safiya meant. She felt the same way about Matt. She'd missed him so much when he died, and Safiya was there to help her all the way through it, but now that Ro herself was gone without a hope of return, she knew her heart would rip if she ever saw his face again.

She set Blueberry down, getting up and rushing over to bring Safiya into another hug, trying her best to help her know that things were going to be okay.

"I know... But we need to move past it. If anything, now we can keep each other company, right? We can enjoy our time here." She sighed, knowing that being overly positive might not help, adjusting her approach, "Yes, we're dead, and nothing's going to change that, but look around, we're okay here and we can have a bit of fun with our friends and just pray the others make it out alive. We might even see them again someday. Without them dying horrible deaths of course."

Safiya chuckled, gladly returning the hug.

"I wouldn't get your hopes up about that last part..."

Ro nodded, knowing that even for her the idea was far-fetched. She moved away to get Safiya something to wipe her eyes with. In the corner of her vision she could see Blueberry, and her mind flashed back to Matt. She wondered if at least he'd found Blanche again. He'd fallen in love with that pink pony the second he heard her name, as had Ro with her blueberry scented pup. She smiled, knowing that she needed to try her best not to miss him. She wanted him to get out of this alive, and he did say when they left that first tent that'd he'd come back for Blanche. She hoped he'd be able to keep that promise.

She picked an orange handkerchief out of the small pile she found, handing it to Safiya, before spotting the camera on her desk again, motioning to it.

"How about we start by making some good memories? Photo?"

Safiya smiled, nodding, as Ro picked up the camera and moved to stand beside her, taking the closest thing she could imagine the 70s having to a selfie as she could. She waited for the picture to develop before pinning it in the centre of her corkboard. They were both grinning _genuine grins_ , and Ro considered it to be the best picture she'd taken in a while.

They spent the next few minutes making a dog bed for Blueberry out of excess pillows, blankets and a large suitcase that was one of a few that were stored under the bed. Then, as if out of nowhere, Colleen poked her head around the door, mischievous grin on her face.

"I found something really cool, my room."

She disappeared, leaving Ro and Saf to shrug a mutual agreement to go. Ro tucked Blueberry into bed and gave him a quick kiss goodnight, before following Safiya two doors down to Colleen's.

Ro took in the room around her, the walls were a pale yellow, with what looked like gold glitter speckled throughout. The multicoloured rug in the centre even looked like a disco dancing floor.

"Make yourselves comfortable!" Colleen fiddled around something low down on the wall as Ro sat on the edge of the bed, whereas Saf took a seat on a chair against the wall.

"Okay. Three, two..."

Colleen turned the main light off, causing the room to fall into darkness, though before Ro could even squeak the countdown continued.

"One!"

All of a sudden the song _Stayin' Alive_ started to play, and a holographic light filled the room. Sitting on the desk was a table-top disco ball and lights kit, casting shadows across all the girls' faces as they looked on in wonder. Colleen moved over towards Safiya, taking her hands and pulling her up from the chair with a grin, spinning her around before proceeding to break out some signature disco moves, humming along to the chorus.

Safiya was just laughing at this point.

"Staying alive? Really Colleen, isn't that _ever so slightly_ ironic."

"Just hush and have fun dancing, Rosanna get on up here."

She couldn't help but smile, leaping up to join them as they all began to boogie, mainly led by Colleen. They laughed and joked, enjoying each other's company. Ro was glad that Safiya appeared to be far more relaxed, as she grooved away, chattering about that one time she actually went to a roller-disco in a 70s themed outfit for a video. Colleen suggested having a party outside, if she found some kind of extension cord for the disco ball. She joked that she could easily lend everyone a disco outfit by the looks of her closet, prompting Rosanna to almost have a break down laughing at the idea of the boys wearing _sequined jumpsuits_.

Their dancing was interrupted a few minutes later by a loud knock on the door, followed by JC's voice as Colleen flicked off the music.

"Thunder should hit any second now guys, be prepared."

Ro didn't even have to ask before Colleen answered with a firm,

"Cover your ears. This might get _hella loud_."

Ro did so, few seconds passing before a loud boom shook though her feet, causing her to involuntarily shiver. If she hadn't know it was thunder she would've assumed it was a bomb instead.

_Hella loud indeed._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> W O O this took a while o o p s.
> 
> I'm just going to say now that they're likely won't be an update tomorrow, I'll catch up on sleep tonight and write the next chapter tomorrow, and upload it on Sunday, or late Saturday. But either way if there isn't a chapter tomorrow that's why. Hope that's okay aa
> 
> I really enjoyed writing this chapter, and there's moments in it that I've had in my head for a while, mainly the "Is it bad I hoped I'd never see you again" conversation. Though more recently thought up bits such as "I'm more responsible"-"that's true." and the girls' disco party I found hella funny but that may just be me.
> 
> Emotions still exist but Safiya is getting better.
> 
> A L S O BLUEBERRY IS BACK :D I love that pooch and I hope some people are glad to see him again, Blanche is alive and with Matt though, yay for them.
> 
> (And technically Safiya's death wasn't as bloody as some of the others but that was a big patch of blood for one wound.)
> 
> (Finally, holy crap we're close to 700 hits whAT??)
> 
> Edit: We hit 700 h O W ?
> 
> -
> 
> Comments are always welcome! I'm p tired so comments make me feel better about that XD


	14. Shot to the Heart - Rosanna

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Why was he wearing a straightjacket?  
> "It's Manny." JC's voice cleared up any fearful doubt in her mind. It wasn't Matt.  
> But it was still a dead body.  
> He was face down on the floor, six bullet wounds littered across his back, staining the off-white material of the straightjacket.
> 
> -
> 
> The seventh victim, the eighth artifact. They're done. Right?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tiny swear warning

Colleen flicked on the light as the girls quickly exited the room to find the others standing there waiting.

"Were you guys having a dance party? Without us?"

"Now isn't the time Roi. C'mon this is number seven, let's get moving."

JC beckoned them out, before speed-walking away from the motel, the rest of the group jogging to catch up with him. Ro scooted up beside Safiya, ever so slightly confused.

"Where are we going?"

"To the lounge, on the map there's a symbol to show where the body is, then we go and get them. That's how I found you..."

Ro nodded, giving Safiya a thumbs up before skipping inside the arcade, being first to slip into the lounge and over to the map still laying picture-side up on the table.

"If we turn it over there's something on the back-"

"Found a symbol!" Ro chirped before JC could finish, pointing to a black ring that hovered over another circus tent.

"That works too, come on lets go."

They all headed out, JC leading the pack, Roi, Teala and Colleen making up the middle ground while Ro and Safiya hung back slightly.

"So, who do you think it'll be? It's the final artifact, right? So this'll be the last person."

She looked up at the taller girl, concern clearly showing in her expression despite her, once again, calm demeanour.

"I don't really want to guess... I just hope it isn't Matt. I mean, he's smart, and even in my challenge I could hear him saying _I am not dying again_. He's determined to survive, and he's definitely not going down without a fight, especially at this stage."

"Well some of us didn't have a choice."

Ro froze, before nodding, agreeing that it was still a possibility. Until he was back home, Matt wasn't safe.

She looped her arm in Safiya's, before pulling her over towards the others, not wanting to drag behind. It seemed they had been having a similar conversation, though it awkwardly faded out when the girls approached. After a few seconds  Colleen swooped around behind them, setting an arm around each of their shoulders comfortingly as Roi and Teala went back to participating in general chatter.

"Okay." Colleen took a deep breath, looking side to side between them, "I don't think it's likely, but it could still happen. I know you two know what I mean but if you need anything, I'm here. Okay?"

Ro appreciated the offer, though Colleen seemingly knew she couldn't replace what they'd lost, or hopefully hadn't, it was nice of her to try. She answered with a hug, almost smothering herself in her  fur coat as she felt Colleen's arm curl gently around her in response. Even if she'd been separated from her best friend, she still had some wonderful ones right here, and thankfully they weren't leaving any time soon.

When they reached the tent entrance, Roi volunteered to go in first, claiming he should make sure the coast was clear, before strutting in while the others hung back.

"Oh snap popcorn- _oh snap dead body_."

"Well we're in the right place at least." Safiya muttered, somewhat under her breath.

"Is it safe?"

"If you're allergic to popcorn, no. If not, yeah we're good to go."

The others filed in, Safiya and Ro staying behind for a second.

"Be brave, okay?"

Ro smiled up at her. She'd heard those words before, a familiar voice calling after her as she was marched up to be sacrificed. If she was brave then, she could be brave now. She still missed him, but she needed to hope that she didn't see anything _blood orange_ when she got inside the tent. She gently held onto Safiya's hand, before they both stepped inside.

Ro whispered a silent _thank you_ to any magical guardian angels when she didn't see an orange jacket the second her eyes found the same spot that everyone else was looking at, but then again it would've been covered up by the straightjacket.

_Why was he wearing a straightjacket?_

"It's Manny." JC's voice cleared up any fearful doubt in her mind. _It wasn't Matt._

_But it was still a dead body._

He was face down on the floor, six bullet wounds littered across his back, staining the off-white material of the straightjacket.

"Roi, help me flip him. Then we can heal his wounds."

The two boys moved forward, rolling his body over before JC pressed his hand to the bullet holes one by one, leaving a glowing red mark in each place. They both stood up as Manny began to stir, blinking lazily before noticing the six faces looking down at him.

" _What the hell?_ "

He was barely audible, and his tone was unrecognisable. He pushed himself onto his elbows, looking up at the tent around him, as if he couldn't believe what was happening.

Ro gave a small nod to the others, as if to say _I got this_ , before crouching down beside Manny, who was just staring aimlessly at the ground in front of him.

"Hey Manny, it's Ro, please don't freak out, okay? You've died and now you're in the afterlife, everyone else is here. Can we ask you what happened?"

" _She shot me..._ "

Ro flinched slightly at how blunt his answer was, yes he did have bullet holes in him but his words had an edge of anger that she _was not_ expecting.

"Who shot you?-" It was like didn't hear her, giving an absentminded answer not even a second after she'd finished her question.  

"Oh my god Nikita."

"Manny it's okay-"

" _Oh my god."_

"Manny, please... I lost Matt, but all we can do now is hope that they get out of this-"

" _Yeah, well Matt didn't shoot you multiple times in the chest!_ "

"What?"

Everyone froze, trying to process what he had just said, Colleen squatted down opposite Ro, seemingly searching Manny's expression for an answer.

"Did Nikita have to shoot you because you lost the challenge? Wow, god that would be heartbreaking-"

"She shot me because she could-"

"Manny can you explain what happened?"

"She found a gun, she had a choice, she told me she loved me and _she shot me multiple times in the chest, how clear do I have to be?_ "

"What do you mean."

"It was me or her. She got to choose and she killed me to save herself."

Everyone went silent, you could've heard a pin drop.

"She- she what?"

" _You heard me_."

At this point Manny had pushed himself up and moved to sit on one of the large, brightly coloured boxes, while the others stood silently, gazes darting between one another. He pulled the straightjacket over his head, before throwing it to the floor as hard as he could, causing popcorn to fly out around it. Colleen was the one who hesitantly tried to make an input into the long dead conversation.

"Well _shit_."

Manny glared at the floor, crossing his arms and kicking at the popcorn covered streamers beneath his feet.

Ro could hardly get it through her head. This was first time someone could actually choose their fate, and it just happened to be directly connected to that of their best friend. She tried to not think of it, but another image forced it's way of her mind. _What if it was her and Matt?_ She instantly shook her head, desperately trying to stop herself from imaging what could've happened if she'd survived the Witches' Lair. She felt herself stumbling, before something steadied her, helping her catch her breath. She looked up to see Safiya, easing her mind with a soft yet reassuring smile. _That's not what happened, so don't dwell over it Rosanna._

Roi was next to make an attempt at restoring conversation.

"That's the eight artifacts, right? That means they have what they need to beat the Carnival Master and get out."

"Unless it was all a trick."

"Why would it be?"

"I don't know, I just... Was this all worth it?"

Before anyone could add a response to that question, a noise they never thought they'd hear again ruptured through the atmosphere.

Despite the artifact's victim already sitting in their line of sight, the sound of thunder blasted through the tent's walls, taking every single guest by surprise. They looked around at each other, pure shock marking each face, but before anyone could question it, a second boom broke, seemingly loud enough to burst their eardrums, turning their shock into panic.

_Two more dead, not even five minutes after Manny._

Ro grabbed onto Safiya hand, fearing the worst. Three were left, Nikita, Joey and Matt. She couldn't face the idea of seeing Matt again, and she cared too much for Joey as well, but it was two out of three.

Either way she'd have lost a friend, maybe even both.

For the first time in the afterlife an emotion ran through her veins that she hoped she'd never feel again, causing her to shiver.

_Fear. Helpless, terrifying, fear._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> aaaaaaaaaaaaa
> 
> -
> 
> It's past midnight but hecc I wanted to get this out. I tried my best to not make this like a very short chapter but due to the time line of deaths (thanks episode nine) I now don't have that much time to cover in T W O C H A P T E R S and I might be able to work it with the next one but idk how long chapter 16 is gonna be hecc
> 
> anyway I didn't think this was gonna be that long but heyyyyyyyo anyway
> 
> O hello Manny welcome to Dead-World I'm gonna try to give you good chapters but oops what can you do?
> 
> Also how in hell did this reach 800 so fast wh A T
> 
> -
> 
> Feel free to comment, seriously if anyone has suggestions of what they want to see next chapter (other than vaguely pissed off Manny coming to term with his death) please fiRE THEM AT ME.


	15. Mourn the Living - Manny

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Did you hear me?"  
> "Thunder."  
> He frowned, not really appreciating the vague answer.  
> "I guessed that, what about it?"  
> "It means someone's dead... Well, two people now."  
> For some reason the news caught him off guard. There were three people left when he died, Joey, Matt and Nikita.
> 
> -
> 
> Sometimes even when you know exactly what's going on, truth is still a hard thing to swallow.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Minor swear warning.

_They thought they could break us apart._

_Are you kidding?_

He'd scoffed, looking at her. There was a flaming determination in her dark eyes that matched the brightness of his smirk.

_We're in this together._

Now, staring down at the brightly coloured box he was sitting on, he scoffed again, a single thought running through his head.

_We were in this together, Nikita. So much for that._

He sighed, repressing the urge to get up and break something, before looking up at the others around him.

Everyone seemed shell-shocked, the rumble fading away. He didn't know what it meant, but be assumed it couldn't have been good. Safiya's hand was almost white from how hard Ro was gripping onto it, their terrified expressions matching the rest of the group. Surprisingly it was Colleen who snapped back into action first.

"Okay _shit_ , uh, how about we split up? Safiya, Ro, do you two want to come with me and investigate whatever the hell _that_ was? So JC, Roi and Teala you guys stay with Manny?"

They seemed to agree with nods and indistinguishable murmurs, before Colleen gently took Safiya by the hand, guiding her and Ro out of the tent and to hell knows where.

He could sense the others turn to look at him. He simply ran his hand through his hair before moving it to check if his lip-gloss was still in his pocket.

It was.

At least _something_ was right with the world.

"So what the hell was that about?"

With his question they seemed to slowly whirr back to life, moving to different sections of the tent. Teala had wandered over to sit down on the raised stage, rocking herself back and forth. Beside her, Roi was down on the floor, hands over his head, which was hidden by his knees. He looked between her and JC, who had the same overall blank expression on his face as he paced up and down in front of arena. If anyone he seemed most likely to answer.

"Did you hear me?"

"Thunder."

He frowned, not really appreciating the vague answer.

"I guessed that, what about it?"

"It means someone's dead... Well, two people now."

For some reason the news caught him off guard. There were three people left when he died, Joey, Matt and _Nikita_.

"So what?-"

"What do you mean _so what?_ It's not even been five minutes and already something's probably unnecessarily murdered two of your friends!" He couldn't tell whether JC was more angry or distressed. "What if it's Nikita?"

"She killed me." He almost said _good riddance_ , but the look in JC's eyes made him hold back.

"Matt couldn't save me, but that doesn't mean I _want_ him to _die_ -"

"Matt didn't _shoot-_ "

"We get it! Manny, being mad at Nikita isn't going to settle anything, especially if she's dead now. If she isn't... then at least you didn't die in vain. If she gets out it'll be because of you."

He shuffled slightly on his box. He didn't want to accept defeat, he wanted to find any reason to say that this was _wrong._

Maybe he didn't have a choice.

"Well if she's dead, I can see her again. She is my _best friend_ after all."

"If she was your best friend then you'd be hoping that she got out of this _alive._ Ro and Safiya really miss Matt, but they probably want him to survive more than ever now. To survive for them. Don't you want Nikita to survive for you?"

He wanted _both_ of them to survive, but it could only be one of them.

JC span on his heels again, letting out a shaky sigh and running a hand through his hair.

"Well she was fighting for her life, most people that close to surviving would probably do the same. You know better than anyone that Nikita's a fighter, right?"

He looked down at the box again, running the question through his head.

_Would I have done the same?_

He let out a low chuckle, trying to tell himself that what he wanted to hear was true.

_I would've died for you..._

_Wouldn't I?_

He takes a deep breath, and thinks. He tries to put himself in her shoes. They'd done this before, in the funhouse. Neither of them held back, they may have been in it together but they were still fighting for their lives.

Nikita had beat him then.

_Why didn't he expect it again this time around?_

_-_

_Manny stop!_

_I'm sorry Nikita._

_Stop it!_

_I lost to you once, I'm not losing to you again._

_You are_ not _going to play this game with me!_

-

He'd kicked popcorn and streamers all over her, putting her down in a desperate attempt to win. This was the last artifact, the last life needed, he was so close.

He was never quite there, was he?

-

He finally completed his first trial, maybe he still had a chance. Nikita was still in the room so-

A bell chimed and Nikita quickly rushed on.

_Shit._

He managed to get four in a row, and then he got his fifth.

_Manny I'm sorry!_

He hadn't even made it to the other side of the room when he heard her. He knew what she meant. He knew it was over.

_He knew he was going to die, and he knew he was scared._

He could remember the moment as if it was happening all over again, the same thought running through his head.

_I'm going to be leaving Nikita behind._

He'd seen her again the elevator. She looked like she was about to cry as she pulled him in for a hug. He felt the need to be there for her as long as he could, he didn't have long left after all. They walked out together, arm around her shoulder, before he pulled the note down off the small plastic box holding the bulb. He read the first line before he felt the need gasp for air.

_You both get to live._

The words had flooded his heart with a feeling of hope, washing over him like the light of tomorrow's sunrise streaming over the town.

She looked so relived, tears of joy stinging the corners of her eyes. He couldn't help but smile, he wouldn't have to leave her now, they could get out of this together.

At least he hoped so.

-

She thought she'd killed her best friend, and she hadn't.

Then she had the choice.

If he had been in her position, would he have done the same?

He wracked his brain, wanting to be right, wanting to stay mad at her, wanting to believe he would've done something different.

_Why did she do it?_

She was fighting for her life, like she had been doing this entire time.

Just like him.

_Would I have died for you?_

Despite searching for an answer harder than ever before, each time he could only draw one conclusion.

_I don't know._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh hell how did I scrape this together oop
> 
> Another shorter chapter, the next one will probably be short as well, but after that they should get longer again as I have a decent plan of what I'm gonna do XD
> 
> Also hecc I'm trying not to make Manny dis-likable he's just going through denial oh boy
> 
> And sorry if the chapter felt clunky aa I'm trying
> 
> (Howdidwereach900hitslikehowIloveyouguysbuthow)
> 
> -
> 
> As always comments are more than welcome :D


	16. Body Count - Manny

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Through shaking out the what-if's, in the corner of his mind he could almost see her.  
> She was crying.  
> She hadn't cried at all tonight, maybe for a brief moment when they exited the funhouse, but now there were tears streaming down her face. He could hear Matt at her side, Joey at the other. They were trying their best to console her but it wasn't doing anything.  
> She'd just killed her best friend.
> 
> -
> 
> Acceptance can be hard, but love makes it a little easier.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> B I G N E W S
> 
> We've passed 1000 hits!
> 
> I have no clue how in hell we did it but * s c r e e c h *
> 
> Thank you all so much aa <3

_Would I die for you?_

The answer seemed so simple.

_Yes, because I love you._

Nothing is ever simple.

_But you love me too._

He tried to imagine what she could've been thinking, how he would've reacted if he'd gotten the note instead.

They'd come so far.

Why did it have to end?

Through shaking out the what-if's, in the corner of his mind he could almost see her.

She was crying.

She hadn't cried at all tonight, maybe for a brief moment when they exited the funhouse, but now there were tears streaming down her face. He could hear Matt at her side, Joey at the other. They were trying their best to console her but it wasn't doing anything.

_She'd just killed her best friend._

_And in a way, a part of her died with him._

"Hey Manny?"

He looked up at JC, wiping a rogue tear from his eye.

"Mhm yeah?"

"I think we should go catch up with the girls now. We'll need to head to the lounge to see where they went, then go find them. Do you feel like heading on?"

Manny nodded. They did need to keep moving, and if this was Nikita, at least he could talk to her again. He needed to not snap at her, or seem too angry. He guessed that she was already feeling pretty rough.

JC made his way over to the other two, who hadn't moved since they last sat down. He pulled Roi up from his sunken state, patting him on the back as a means of support, earning a half-hearted smile in response. Teala stood up beside them, before JC pulled them both in for a hug, which they seemed to gladly accept.

Manny pushed himself off his box, walking over towards the entrance. He pulled back the material as JC appeared beside him, the others huddled closely behind.

"We should be careful... the sky seems darker."

Manny looked up. The only thing he could compare it to was the sky back in the living world, though he never really took the time to gaze up at it. He agreed with JC though, it didn't look good. Crimson clouds swirled around the dark indigo sky, almost appearing black in places the light didn't touch.

_This did not seem good at all._

They ran towards the lounge, the wind whipping up the dust around their feet, each step causing him to grow more impatient as they went.

When they reached arcade Manny practically barrelled down the doors, heading like a bullet towards the map. He scanned it like a hawk, searching around the pictured town for some kind of sign.

"It's there... the church."

He looked to where JC was pointing. There was a pair of curled horns inked onto the map, just above a chapel. The church, the same church where the Carnival Master was.

He needed to push that to the back of his mind, Nikita could be _dead_ for all he knew so he needed to keep moving forward.

"Let's go."

They bolted out into the open, racing down the streets again as they headed towards what Manny could only describe as _possibly impending doom_.

"Guys..?"

They all skidded to a stop at the bridge, the large face of a demon placed upon it.

_Walking into the mouth of satan._

_How delightful._

He was snapped out of his thoughts by the bright light that flashed through the windows of the church and out onto the moors that surrounded it, the graves casting shadows onto the grass. Above him the red seemed to clear from the sky as it returned to its usual midnight blue, speckled with glowing stars as far as the eye could see. He looked to the others for an idea of what to do, before Roi just started running again, his footsteps followed by the rest as they moved ever closer to the chapel.

They stopped again at the entrance.

"I say we just, go in, y'know?"

"Well I feel like we need to get in there fast. If it's evil, then it won't know what's happening, and we can surprise it."

"Sounds good. We barge in, if the thing's bad, we attack."

They nodded in the response to JC's plan. Manny backed up, looked straight ahead, and hurtled towards the wood.

He burst open the door to greeted by a collective, high-pitched scream from the three girls at the other end of the church, who had clumped together in fear at the sudden arrival. Colleen clung at Safiya's shoulders, her coat almost obscuring Ro, who was nestled between them, the look of pure terror on her face melting into a shaky yet relived fit of laughter, as if she'd just been jump-scared by a board game.

Within a few seconds the other two had fallen into similar bouts of hysterics. Safiya slowly moved to lie, face down, on the floor like a plank of wood while Colleen attempted to tell them _never to freaking do that again or she'd shove them in prison or the maiden_ through the tears that had started to emerge.

_He hadn't seen them laugh so hard since before the sun-set._

"Okay, we're very sorry, but back to the important matter. Who died?"

Ro was just walking back and forth at this point, hands up in the air. Safiya had rolled over onto her back, her arm draped over her eyes as she caught her breath. She pointed to the back right of the church.

Manny walked forward, peering over to see what looked like two figures, a mixture dark purples and warm orange, tangled together on the floor. When he cleared his throat the pair sprung apart, revealing a very confused looking Mortimer, and a baffled, somewhat flustered, looking Calliope.

It wasn't Nikita.

Or Matt, or Joey.

They were all alive.

These two though, were very much dead.

"Calliope, Mortimer, what happened?"

"The- the Carnival Master is free..."

The sound of laughter stopped, leaving the air dead silent. Manny's line of sight turned instantly to the back wall of the building. The oversized crystal still was there, but with a hole shattered in one of the sides.

_It was empty._

"What?"

"How?"

"What about Matt? Or Joey?"

"And Nikita?" Manny could feel the words trying to freeze in his throat. He wasn't going to let them this time.

Calliope had pushed herself to her feet, steadying each weakened motion with the wall as she went. She looked utterly drained.

"All hope is not lost..."

"What can they do then? Isn't the Carnival Master all-powerful or something. He's magic at least."

"They have the artifacts, and there is only a few more steps they need to take to defeat him. They're so close. We must have faith..." She almost fell back to the floor, before Mortimer managed to catch her, quickly looping her arm around his neck in an attempt to support her, wrapping his spare arm around her waist.

Despite Manny's lack of a pulse, he could hear his heart thumping in the back of his head, though it wasn't out of anger. It was the same fierce determination that he had shared with her, burning in their hearts each time they locked eyes. They were there for each other when times got rough but god damn it, if anyone was going to be the death of him, he was glad it was her. If she lived in his place he needed to accept it because this was _Nikita_.

_She is..._

He shook any negative thought out of his head. This wasn't his murderer, this was his _friend_.

_My girl. And I've loved her since freaking the day I met her._

He grinned to himself, the sentence sitting right in his heart. It was the truth. Despite the fire sparking inside him, he knew this feeling wasn't much use to him now.

But he damn hoped she still had bucket-loads of it left.

_Get out of here Nikita._

_Get out of here for us._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh gee oh boy
> 
> I can't wait to get rolling again because (sorry Manny, yes your chapters were fun to write but) I get to move onto some snazzy stuff style with Calliope :D So longer chapters on the way.
> 
> (Fun Fact: Calliope is my favourite helper I love her I miss her and I am way in over my head with this)
> 
> -
> 
> Feel free to comment down below because I love to hear feedback :D 
> 
> Also puns.
> 
> Feel ever freer to send in puns.


	17. No Rest for the Dead - Calliope

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "The stars? The stars are not a person..."  
> "Well we are among the stars now... all of us." Her expression softened, before her eyes darted to something behind Calliope and a sense of emergency rushed back into each jolting movement she made.  
> "I really, really need your help, please."
> 
> -
> 
> Oh crap there's a demon w h a t oh no oh boy moRTIMER HECC DAMNIT.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tiny swear warning also I love Calliope hi

"Hey, please wake up. Come on, _I really need you right now_..."

She stirred back to continuousness, a small yet panicked voice swirling around her ears as the light returned to her eyes.

"Oh thank _god_. Here, get up, quickly. _Oh god_ , this is seriously _not_ good."

The bony hands shaking her shoulders swiftly helped to pull her up, bringing her face to face with the creature. A young girl, though she couldn't pin point an age, with skin that held even less colour than a porcelain doll. Even her eyes appeared a bleak grey, lacking any sign of life what-so-ever.

Then again.

She _was_ dead.

Her hair fell in a thick mass past her chin, ash brown strands fraying out across her shoulders. Something caught Calliope's eyes as the girl moved back, dragging over a large, worn, leather drawstring bag. Fastened to the lapel of her coat was a golden brooch-pin in the shape of a symbol she knew all too well.

_The Society of Evil._

But why was she here?

"I need your help, please."

She knew that voice from _somewhere._

"Who are you..? If you're dead, where have I heard you before?"

The girl looked at her, despite her pleading expression she paused, before speaking again, her voice lowered and her accent changing ever so slightly to one that Calliope recognised instantly,

" _The spell will be broken soon. He is coming."_

That was all she needed to hear.

"The stars? The stars are not a person..."

"Well we are among the stars now... all of us." Her expression softened, before her eyes darted to something behind Calliope and a sense of emergency rushed back into each jolting movement she made.

"I really, _really_ need your help, please."

Calliope nodded, kneeling in front of the girl's bag, waiting for the next instruction.

"What can I do? What do you need help with."

"Well, I can keep up a spell to protect this place from the demons getting _in_ , but your friend there got himself corrupted." She pointed to what was behind Calliope. She turned around to see Mortimer, still lying on the ground, the dark, bruise-like mark of corruption at the centre of his chest.

 "When he died, I didn't know whether to keep him out but, I mean, he'd be torn to shreds if he wasn't here, and I couldn't face leaving one of them behind when I've been able to keep all of the others safe for so long... Either way, now that _one demon_ has found its way in that could let in _more_ and I really _do not_ know how to handle that. One or multiple, either, I just keep them out and I've never had the power to do anything past that."

"If you don't know how to do it, then what can I do?"

"I never said I _don't_ _know_ how to do it, I just _can't_ do it. Everything you need is in here, it's like an emergency kit, even if I can't use it myself. I don't know how well it'll work with two people but-"

She was cut off by the sound of footsteps heading towards the church, crunching down the falls leaves that scattered over the grass.

"They're coming... I can't stay, they're not supposed to know I'm here. Good luck, and thank you so much. Please save him, so we can save them all."

"Who's coming?-"

When she blinked the girl was gone without a trace, as if she vanished into thin air.

Before Calliope could even call out for her the door swung open to reveal three figures.

" _Calliope?_ "

She knew that voice too, she'd saved that one's life.

Rosanna rushed forward, barrelling into her for a hug. She seemed as if she was about to cry.

"So that means the others might be safe, but there were two thunder booms."

That was Colleen, the one who was betrayed by her friends.

"Calliope, who else died?"

Safiya. The one who was betrayed by the game.

They helped pick her up to her feet, though she quickly started to fumble, reaching down for the bag.

"Mortimer... We need to save him, he's been corrupted."

They all looked over at the body, before looking back at Calliope.

"Why isn't he wearing a shirt?"

"Now isn't the time Colleen, what can we do? I'm assuming _that's_ not good." Safiya cut off her statement, despite Ro murmuring a confused agreement in the background, before they all turned their attention back to the task at hand. Calliope kneeled back down on the floor, opening the bag and unloading its contents. Two bound scrolls, a pot of some kind, a black candle wrapped in some kind of paper and an old fountain pen. She set them on the floor, before rummaging around for the last item she knew was in there, she grabbed onto it, before pulling it out to reveal a glowing wand.

"Wait, are we doing _witchcraft_?" Safiya's eyes darted to Rosanna, who was inspecting the candle and pot.

Calliope nodded, the look of concern growing on Safiya's face.

"Do you need all of us?"

"Safiya."

"What?"

"I can do this." She looked over at the shorter girl, a look of determination blazing in her eyes.

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah. One, I love Harry Potter. Two, we need to get that demon out of our friend, right Calliope?"

Her question was met with frantic nodding.

"Yeah, so I'mma be like the Gryffindorr I am and be brave, therefore, I will do this!"

She beamed up at Safiya, who eventually sighed before muttering something Calliope took to be _Ravenclaw for the win_ under her breath.

"I have no clue what you are talking about, but please, let us proceed."

"And as someone who is just not really a fan, _let's exorcise this bitch_."

Safiya unwrapped both of the scrolls, handing one to Colleen.

"This one says Circle Spell..."

"And this one is for a Banishment Spell. Which one do we use?"

Safiya scanned over hers again, noting down each step.

"I think we do both, the circle is to get the demon out, and _then_ we banish it."

"Then let us get going. What's first."

Safiya read out the instructions, though the main part was that they needed to make a circle. Calliope pulled Mortimer's body into the centre part of the church, before standing up beside him.

"Basically we need to surround him, hold hands and just focus all the positive energy we can into this."

"So we kill it with kindness." Safiya looked over at Colleen, before shrugging.

"Yeah, pretty much."

"Ro's got this covered then."

The girl grinned up at them, adjusting her beret, before linking her hands with Safiya and Calliope's, wait for the signal.

"So I'll start saying incantation, and you guys join in, okay? Remember to put positive and healing energy into this, it might take a few minutes."

They all nodded, before closing their eyes to focus on the spell. Safiya slowly began to recite the chant, the others joining in after the second or third time. They kept repeating and repeating it, waiting for something to happen. Calliope could hear the words jingling in her ears, the magic dancing through her blood and attempting to suck her soul dry. There was only four of them, this spell probably needed more than that, but they had to try.

She thought of everything she'd fought for over the years, the reasons she had to keep fighting for this town despite the fact it's people had insulted and harassed her almost every day during the forty years she'd kept watch over them. Well, all of them but one. One of them, who still looked her way, but with a sparking curiosity rather than blatant distaste. Who called the workers out for hollering at her when she walked through the streets, who she'd seen sneaking along the outskirts of town, leaving her warming blankets when it got cold and cooling water when the sun shone, in wicker baskets by the bridge, their border, where Everlock met No-Man's-Land, where their worlds collided and then stopped. Just hours ago he'd looked at her and smirked with a grin she'd only seen from afar.

_So it looks like we're in this together, huh?_

Her first reaction was that this was no time for small talk, the town was in danger and she'd save it with or without him. He didn't know what he was getting into. She did.

_Sure looks like it, pretty boy._

Her answer seemed to amuse him, a soft chuckle sounding in her ears despite the loud chatter going on around the two.

He didn't seem like the cowardly type, that much she could guess.

Though now he was at her feet, dead but still in peril of dying even more, relying on her to save him.

_She wasn't going to stop fighting now._

She gripped onto the two hands tighter, channelling everything she had. Every happy memory, every fleeting smile, every word not exchanged that could've been said a long time ago.

She almost thought every last spark of hope would be drained out of her, before the chanting stopped, and a gasp came from one of the girls around her.

"Oh _damn_."

She opened her eyes to see the mark had faded from Mortimer's chest, replaced by a  plume of dark smoke hovering above him. It flew towards the door, but was stopped as Safiya raced over to slam them shut.

"We need to get rid of it! Colleen, read out the other set of instructions."

She raced to get the other scroll as Safiya quickly went to stand beside her. Calliope was still gazing at the floor, almost toppling forward before Rosanna helped steady her. The other two girls quickly hauled Mortimer's body back over to the spot where they found him, before starting to set up for the next spell.

"Are you okay?"

"Yes child I just... Feel a little drained."

"You did seem to be focusing pretty hard on that spell, and it really worked!" Ro beamed at her, adjusting her hat again before helping Calliope sit down at the side.

"Guys, is it possible for Calliope to sit this one out."

"Yeah, we've already starting setting up the stuff. Luckily it doesn't seem to need anything from us." Safiya had already started by lighting the candle and setting the pot in front of it.

"Okay Colleen, I need to say this first, then you write what we want to banish on the parchment paper."

"What parchment paper? Also what do I write on it?"

"I think it was wrapped around the candle, and put _Mortimer's demon_ or something, that seems specific enough. Okay?"

Colleen snickered slightly, before nodding.

" _Goddess, I seek your help in banishing this negativity from my life._ " She chanted the words, before Colleen quickly scribbled down on the page, then picking up the wand. Safiya held out the picture on the scroll to Colleen, who traced it in the air with the wand above the paper as carefully as she could. When she had finished the two girls nodded at each other. Colleen picked up the parchment, and brought it to the candle. The flame caught onto it, clawing at the edges as she dropped it into the pot.

" _I will no longer be held by my negativity._ " As Safiya murmured the final part of the spell, she kept her eyes closed for a few seconds before opening them again as Colleen gently blew out the candle.

"Did we do it?" Ro stood up, moving between the others as they glanced around the ceiling, the dark cloud was nowhere in sight.

"I think we did-" As if in reaction to the spells a bright light emerged from the centre of the church, causing them all to cover their eyes as quickly as they could. It slowly faded away, leaving the moon light to flood in through the windows again as if nothing had changed.

Though something had to have changed. They'd done the spells, they'd banished the demon.

_The Demon._

_Mortimer._

Her head snapped to the side in panic, which almost instantly melted away as her eyes met a pair of, very confused, but still calm looking brown ones.

"Cal-"

Before he could even say another word she launched at him, warms tears welling up in her eyes, holding onto his jacket like her life depended on it.

Did he get himself into this mess? _Yes._

Did he almost kill multiple people, and did get at least one person killed as a result? _Also yes._

Was he a idiot who didn't know what he was doing in the slightest but did it anyway? _Definitely another yes._

But did he deserve to be _torn to shreds_ by demons? _Probably not._

With that last question she remembered the good deeds, before he brought hell down upon himself, back when he was doing things because _it was the right thing to do._

She smiled, sounds of laughter dancing in her brain, the weird smell of his jacket causing her to relax, a pair of arms looping around her back, before a sharp cough made the logical part of her brain kick back into gear, causing her to roll sideways, back onto the cold floor. It was Manny looking down at them, a vaguely amused, yet still concerned, expression on his face. She could see Roi and Teala come up behind him, followed by JC. The three girls were for some reason laughing in different parts of the room, though she didn't feel like questioning it.

"Calliope, Mortimer, what happened?"

She looked back up at Manny, before the question fully processed in her head. Her eyes darted to the crystal at the back of the church. She told them what they needed to hear, barely managing to get the words out through exhaustion and pure _fear._

"The- the Carnival Master is free..."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> H E C C H E C C 
> 
> was this my second upload today?? oh boy.
> 
> Well I mean it's the 24th for me but that's my timezone so W O O P
> 
> Yeah I love Calliope and I'm also highkey Mortipe trash and hey trying to redeem Mortimer here so w o o.
> 
> And yes Ro is a Gryffindorr, I checked her Harry Potter videos.
> 
> Also if anyone can name the girl you get my love and appreciation because go you! <3
> 
> -
> 
> Comment are more than welcome! I love feedback almost as much as I love Calliope. :D (Andshe'smyfavouritenonguestever.I'mprobablyinovermyheadforthis.ohwell.)
> 
> -
> 
> Finally, the next chapter is probably going to be a big one, as it involves a major plot point I've been excited to add to the story for a while :D (it'll be a big one story wise, and hopefully lengthwise as well) so if there's a small delay between chapters, that's why, but I'll still try to keep on top of it.
> 
> ~ Bird


	18. Intertwined - Calliope

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "What happens if they don't make it?" She could see Rosanna peering up at her, a worried expression flooding the girl's face.
> 
> "We must pray for them, child. We must stay strong and hope for the best."
> 
> -
> 
> Sometimes the only thing you can do, is nothing at all.
> 
> Or sleep. Sleep is good too.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh wow hopefully this is worth the Wait, sorry it didn't come sooner :>
> 
> -
> 
> Tiny swear warning

_She could almost feel a small hand holding hers, though when she looked down there was no one there._

"If you want I  _can_  carry you, you know."

She looked up at him, though he faded in-between a mix of fuzzy shapes and soft features, she shook her head. She  _needed_  to keep going, to stay strong. She was the only one who truly understood what was going on here, the reasons this town was in danger at all. Though for now she needed to set her strides towards a path of recovery.

That journey started with being able to walk.

Even if she was stumbling she tried to keep her balance, not relying on Mortimer's help too much, as badly as she felt the need to curl up and drift off then and there. She tried her best to pay attention to the chatter ahead of her.

"If the Carnival Master is free then... Is there anything we can do?"

"Nothing, as far as I am aware, all we can do is wait."

"Will the Carnival Master use the artifact to complete his spell, are they doomed?"

"I am not sure to what extent his magic reaches, though the fact your friends are not here now is likely a good sign."

"What happens if they don't make it?" She could see Rosanna peering up at her, a worried expression flooding the girl's face.

"We must pray for them, child. We must stay strong and hope for the best."

The shorter girl nodded, sliding back beside Safiya, who protectively wrapped and arm around her shoulder.

"Well what do we do now?" The Daredevil sounded borderline defeated, but there was still an edge of hope to his words.

"Well Calliope needs some rest."

That voice was the one closest to her ears, the one holding her up.

"I don't..."

She stumbled again, and yet again he helped her regain her balance.

"Yes she does. Is there anywhere quiet she could lie down for a bit?"

"There's the rooms, at the motel. Since you guys are dead then you should have ones too, like the rest of us."

"How can you say that so easily?" Manny had rounded beside Teala, looking down at her. She shrugged  a response.

"I've been here a while, gotten used to it I guess. Besides, they're pretty nice, you'll have a place too Manny."

"Okay, okay. Well it better be worth it. So we're off to the motel?"

"Well, you get the keys in Fat Man Slims, so actually we're headed there."

They all moved on again, leaving Calliope and Mortimer at the back of the pack.

"This could be a lot easier."

"I can walk."

"Yes but this is faster."

He leaned down and scooped her up fully, her arms instinctively wrapping around his neck for support.

"Mortimer-"

"Onwards!"

He dashed forwards, catching up with the others before slowing down again to walk level with them. She rested her head on the his shoulder, closing her eyes as she rocked back and forth.

-

" _Calliope_..."

Her eyes opened again, barely staying that way, when she realised her feet were once again resting on the ground. They were in Fat Man Slims. Mortimer helped lower her beneath the counter, bringing her to be eye level with a row of small boxes. She reached towards the last one, opening it up and pulling out a keychain with a single key and a multitude of small star charms on it, the metal clinking off each other when it moved. As she fiddled with it, she grew drowsy again. She could feel her feet being lifted from the floor again as her mind floated back into another blank dream.

-

In the back of her mind she heard a faint click, and a creaking noise, before she was gently placed down onto a softer surface, and covered in what felt like blankets. She drifted back into consciousness, her eyes scanning he room around her, lilac and blue walls illuminated by freshly lit candles, catching each of the speckled stars in the glow from their flame.

"Mortimer..?"

"Yes?"

Her eyes darted over to him.

"Go put on a shirt."

He scoffed, before nodding and exiting the room, coming back dressed with almost the exact same shirt he was wearing just hours ago. This one looked cleaner.

"Okay Calliope," he squatted down beside the bed, looking her in the eye, "close your eyes and get some rest"

"But..."

"No buts, sleep."

"I don't need to sleep..."

"Well one, I see you out during the day and two, you seem to always be in communication with the stars, which only come out at night, I'd say you need sleep. Add the fact you've just done a life sucking ritual, apparently, thank you again, you probably need extra sleep."

"Why do you care about my sleeping patterns?"

"Because they're important. Just like you, Miss Calliope Last-name."

"Calliope  _Last-name_?" She tilted her head, giving him a quizzical look.

"I don't know it."

"Well I don't have one." She replied curtly, before tucking her head back into the pillow.

"How? Everyone has one."

"Well I'm not everyone, so I just don't."

He paused, before continuing. Despite not being able to see him she could tell he had the same grin on his face that he wore the first time they properly exchanged words.

"Well, how about Wilson?"

She didn't know whether she heard him correctly, or just didn't understand him, words boiling down to just the smooth tone of his voice, making her even sleepier.

"Why? Just because I don't have one doesn't mean I need one, people can live without a second-"

"Never-mind. "

"What?"

"It's fine... C'mon, you need your rest."

She muffled a murmur or reluctant agreement, before brushing her hair out of her face and curling into the warm confines of the bed, closing her eyes. She paused for a moment, before speaking again.

"Mortimer?"

"Hmm?"

"Can you stay here? It's just... I don't want to think of what might happen to the other ones..."

"Shh... What you need to do is hope for the best."

"What kind advice is that from someone who was just possessed and murdered?"

"I'm trying to help, Calliope. I heard those words from someone very wise."

She chuckled, the noise blurring into the pillow.

"But will you stay?"

"I wasn't planning on going."

Calliope opened an eye to notice that he'd already pulled up a chair and was sitting just beside her.

"Thanks..."

She could tell he was smirking again.

"Well if you want you can hold-" She has her eyes open just enough to reach out and take hold of the hand he had, likely jokingly, held out. Even if he was kidding, the connection let her know he was still there, or that someone was at least. He didn't seem to pull away, but kept her hand steady as she quickly fell fast asleep.

-

She was awoken by the sound of a loud banging on the door.

_"Calliope! Mortimer!"_

She sat up, realising that Mortimer had moved from her side, and had gotten up to open the door, light flooding into the room. She stretched, feeling more alert than she's had in a while, she pushed back the blankets, quickly rushing over to him.

Roi and Teala were the ones standing at the door, while the girl seemed nervous, Roi was practically bouncing up and down on his toes, a smile she hadn't seen for so long rushing across his face.

"What's going on?"

"Lightening, church, good?"

Teala sighed, attempting to explain.

"We were walking around and we saw a flash of lightening hit the church and we don't know what it was but it wasn't thunder so we've sent the others and then we came to get you, does that make any sense?" She seemed out of breath, anxiously resting a hand on Roi's shoulder.

"Whatever it might be, we need to get there right away."

The two nodded, before letting them exit the room, Calliope locking the door behind her, turning to see Roi had already bolted off, Teala in tow. She looked up and Mortimer.

"Hope for the best?"

He grinned back at her.

"It's all we can do."

He took her hand, before running with her through the streets and towards the bridge. The other pair had already disappeared.  _The boy always did seem to have a lot of energy._ She could feel the wind grazing her face as they went, skidding to a halt, before taking off again across the river and up onto the moors. Everyone else was standing at the door, peering inside as a vibrant, sunset coloured light flooded out, drenching each of them.

They cleared a path as she approached, as if they collectively assumed she'd know what to do. In the back of the room the amber crystal had lit up, though rather than being filled with evil it was overflowing with a warm energy, one that seemed to eradicate any lingered effect of the ritual, letting her eyes remain wide open to take it all in.

_It's time..._

It was the voice again... The hand, the eyes, the stars...  _The girl._

Her head darted around, trying to catch a glimpse of something that wasn't there.

_Your duty has been fulfilled, Calliope. The Carnival Master has been defeated, and the survivors have left Everlock and shall be returned home. Though the ones that fell as casualties cannot be saved, they are now safe. Here, at least. The demons that have fought to enter Afterlock have been defeated with him, and you are now free to wander among the other worlds. Thank you for fighting._

Only the second sentence seemed to register to her, causing her to jump up, punching the air.

"What's wrong?"

" _Nothing!_ "

"Calliope."

"Mortimer they did it. They defeated him."

"What?"

"The Carnival Master... He's gone."

The faces crowding the door way all froze, before a triumphed  _Whoop_ was let out by Roi, prompting the others to break out into cheers and loud hoots. Stars began to stream down their cheeks as they celebrated the successful news. She could see Rosanna leaping up at Manny, being lifted high into the air and span around as the others laughed, before Ro quickly rushed back to embrace Safiya and Colleen. Roi, despite looking like he was about to bounce off every surface in the room, had his arms around JC and Teala, who joined him in jumping up and down excitedly in their little huddle.

When they had calmed down, Calliope addressed them again.

"It seems the crystal is now a portal, to where? I do not know, but I believe we're supposed to go through it."

The others looked around at each other, before nodding.

"I mean, I've  _died_  tonight, so how bad can this be." Colleen laughed, her arm wrapped around Safiya's shoulder, who was just shaking her head with a smile.

"I'll go first." Mortimer raised his hand, stepping towards the crystal.

Calliope gave him a thumbs up, letting him know it was okay. He smiled back, before walking in, fading through the light and disappearing.

When they didn't hear screaming they assumed it was safe enough, and within a minute everyone had gone through except Calliope.

" _Hey._ "

She could hear the voice again, but it seemed much more real this time, echoing around the church. She turned to see the girl standing in the doorway, before walking forward to greet her.

"Thanks for saving him back there... I couldn't have done it without you. Also did you hear the joke I made,  _Afterlock_ , I thought it was pretty clever. It's Afterlife and Everlock com- you probably get it." She grinned, chuckling at her own pun.

"Oh, I have something to give you." She moved closer, something clasped in her hands which she held out. Calliope held out her own hand, and the girl gently placed the gift in the centre of her palm.

Calliope inspected it closely. It was a small, golden pin, the same as the one pinned to the girl's coat.

"This means you're their guardian now, and in the name of the Society Against Evil, welcome to the Afterlife Branch."

The girl saluted her, as Calliope carefully attached the pin to her top, the amber light catching on it, causing it to glow against the dark material.

"There's a guardian for each of the other Afterlifes as well, one a member and one honorary. Though either way, you're not alone."

She offered her a soft smile in return.

"I never was... Thank you, for this."

"You deserve it, now, you should join them."

She nodded, before stepping into the crystal.

For a second she through she was floating. Suspended and weightless in vast realms of golden light, though she soon found her footing again, the golden glow replaced with the normal moonlight shining down upon her. She looked back at where she came from.

Behind them was just a gateway, swinging closed with a clunk, causing most of the others to jump in fright. Though ahead of them stood a large house, sitting central in this estate, built in a style that Calliope didn't recognise. She just assumed they were nowhere near Everlock, though maybe not even in the same era.

"Teala, holy crap."

"What?"

When Calliope looked over she could see faint green puffs of smoke coming from the girl's lips each time she spoke, and a ring of red glow hanging around her neck, but not the same dust that they found in Everlock. She glanced over the group, those who had been fatally wounded had semi-translucent streams of what looked like red gas flowing from their wounds, swirling a few inches from their bodies before disappearing. The only other exception, other than Teala, was Roi, who had two small, dark-purple streams coming from the side of his neck. Colleen was practically surrounded in the glow.

Before they could look for an explanation, in the distance, they heard a commotion. Figures seemed to spew from the building's front door as it opened, running down the steps and out onto the driveway, before halting, looks of shocking spreading across almost all of them, accompanied by matching gasps. Calliope quickly numbered the heads of each one, counting a total of fourteen.

From the crowd, a man and a woman walked forward, examining the group. Calliope recognised the pin on his jacket, before noticing the lady had one as well, standing out against her black attire. It was the same golden symbol she'd been given only minutes ago, adorning her top, glinting in the moonlight. The others seemed to be in awe around her. The man sighed, shaking his head

"Well shit. What's Joey done now?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For those who are wondering why there's only 14 people, Matt and Lele are still in the house. Long story.
> 
> But yeah, everyone who's dead is here :D I should update the character list. Eh. If I remember.
> 
> -
> 
> Me @ Myself at 3am when this goes up: be like Calliope, get some rest.
> 
> LiterallyDrained!Calliope is me right now.
> 
> -
> 
> Comment are more than welcome! I love feedback! :D


	19. Fits like a Puzzle - Mortimer

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Y-you're dead?"
> 
> The celebrations came to a standstill as the fact sunk in, they weren't just looking at their lost friends, they were looking at the recently deceased.
> 
> -
> 
> Reunions and sweetness, even if they are dead.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Swear warning because o h w o w lots of people are dead

Mortimer's eyes darted from him back to the rest of the group, everyone seemed stunned, unable to react. The man who'd just addressed them spoke up again.

"Well. Welcome to the twenties. We were the first group, y'know, 2016 and everything. There's also a big Victorian mansion somewhere else. That's last year's group, assuming you guys came from 2018-"

"Alex?"

In the corner of his eye he could see the Daredevil move to the front of the crowd, eyes scanning each face.

A lady with a feathered headdress moved aside, revealing a man wearing a black suit, a girl in a golden ball gown looped around his arm. A grin cracked out across his face.

" _Roi!_ "

The two sprung forward, leaping into a hug that quickly sent them both to the floor. He could've almost mistaken it for fighting if it weren't for the playful grins and laughter filling the air. The tension melted away as expressions started to soften. Figures pushed past him and Calliope, two crowds becoming one in a mix of tearful and heartfelt reunions. Teala ran gleefully towards a girl with a tiara as a small group gathered around Colleen.

"Holy _shit_."

His line of sight diverted to a woman in a white dress, Ro standing just in front of her.

"Justine!"

Despite the warm embrace the shorter girl offered, the blonde still looked shell-shocked.

"Y-you're _dead?_ "

The celebrations came to a standstill as the fact sunk in, they weren't just looking at their lost friends, they were looking at the recently deceased.

"Yeah..." Rosanna's voice poked through the silence with its naturally comforting tone, "But I'm glad I get to see you again. I really missed you."

She wrapped her arms around Justine's waist, before the gesture was quickly returned, and the others slowly sunk back into conversation. Well, everyone but the lady who had stepped forward earlier. She seemed to notice the other two outsiders, stepping over towards them.

"You're not other YouTubers?"

He looked down at Calliope, the same confused expression as his on her face.

"Other whats?"

"I'll take that as a no then, it's a modern term apparently, it's what they," she gestured to the other crowd, "all do for a living. It took me a while and a lot of explaining to wrap my head around it as well."

He slowly nodded, it sounded like a weird concept but maybe it was something to do with... Nope, he had no clue.

"Anyway, I'm Mortimer, this is-"

"Calliope." His companion held out her hand, which the other woman shook.

"I'm Alison, I'm from the Victorian Era- that sounds odd, like it's a place."

"Well we're from the 1970s. You're right that does sound strange. We'll get used to it?"

"Hopefully."

A voice brought them back to the main conversation as JC spoke up.

"Wait, if you guys are Victorian then that means there's only six from the twenties, but didn't only three come back? I thought eleven went missing."

"Yeah, Matt and Lele are back up at the house."

" _Oh really?_ " No one seemed to acknowledge the tone of Colleen's comment.

"Matt?" The name seemed to grab Ro's attention.

"Matt Haag, Nadeshot, gamer. Also Lele Pons but that was probably easier to figure out. What's up, you seem nervous."

Ro and Manny looked between each other before she continued.

"The survivors, we hope, of our group were Matthew Patrick, Game Theory-"

"And Nikita Dragun. Joey too, of course, well, he came back to life."

"What?"

"He... Joey died, and he roped us into this hell of a mission to bring himself back to life, along with saving this town called Everlock."

Some of the others seemed disgruntled at the news. Roi, Teala and JC looked shocked to say the least.

"Anyway, we probably shouldn't stay here. I'd say the ballroom is a better place to talk. First though, we'll need to get the other two." Shane looked towards a man in matching grey-squared suit, who saluted, before marching off towards the house, a girl with a black and white shawl following quickly after him.

"We should probably all go up anyway, so the others can see the house. Plus it may take a while for that pair to come out from their lairs."

"Well Tim and Andrea probably went to get Matt, so I'll go try coax Lele up." A short girl in trousers raised her hand. The lady in the feathered headdress walked over beside her, raising a hand in the air.

"Vine squad, _roll out!_ "

They high-fived, before the shorter one broke into a full sprint, leaving the other to let out a displeased sigh, before holding up her dress and running after her.

"Great, we should be good to go in less than ten minutes but for now, exploration is probably a good idea."

Shane started to make his way up the drive and towards the house, the other figures briskly following after him, leaving the three helpers to bring up the back.

"So," Mortimer attempted to strike up a conversation again, "how did you die?"

He felt Calliope smack his arm as if to say _watch it_ , but Alison just chuckled.

"I sacrificed myself to save them, but in the end I was ripped apart by werewolves. You two?"

Mortimer looked at Calliope with an expression he assume read as oh shit, before she answered for the both of them.

"Well this idiot got himself possessed, betrayed us under that influence, set loose and then got himself killed by this creature named the Carnival Master, and then I died trying to fight him, straight after Mortimer. You win honour points." Alison smiled at that last remark

"So you two died together?"

"Pretty much."

She nodded, hopping up the steps to the door.

"Come on in."

They entered, glancing around at the building. the others had spread out through the bottom two rooms either side of the main hallway, a dining room and then a lounge area. Mortimer managed to overhear the conversation nearest him. Consisting of Ro, Safiya, Colleen and Justine.

"So what's with Matt and Lele?" Safiya turned to the blonde, her inquisitive nature poking through.

"Oh, they've been avoiding each other, started a couple days after we got here. Lele's claimed a room in the basement and Matt stays on the top floor. We try to lure them out sometimes but they don't budge much. Tim keeps trying to get them to make out."

"But why would they do that if they don't like each other?" Ro curiously asked.

"Because there's such a thing as hate-"

"Colleen _no_." Safiya cut her off almost instantly, rushing to cover Ro's ears as Justine held back a laugh.

A couple minutes passed, a few rounds of darts and a dozen light drinks, before the sound of footsteps pattered down the stairs. Tim, Andrea and another man with a bowtie, who he assume was Matt, following after them. A round of applause broke out along with someone joking "So he is real" as they flowed back into the crowd, moments later followed up by a round of loud whoops as a group of three girls, two from earlier and a final third, Lele, walked through the front door. The trio posed for dramatic effect, before Mortimer saw the blonde glare straight ahead, seemingly catching Matt's eyes for a good few seconds, then quickly walking away to another group and another round of cocktails.

"Well, now that we have everyone we should head to the mansion. Someone put the glasses in the kitchen and meet us there."

"Gotcha!" Another unknown voice called out from the back, while Mortimer made sure to get out the doors before becoming in anyway trampled by the twenty or so people also trying to get out.

Shane led the pack as they went, he made his way towards the gates that they'd walked through upon arriving, pushing them open and striding forwards, beckoning for everyone to follow.

Outside the fence, the front of the estate was lined with large, thick-trunked, oak trees. Shane stopped at one close by. He knocked on the bark, which as if by magic, began to glow. Mortimer watched in awe as a portal appeared in the wood, not unlike the one he'd seen in the crystal, but a faint blue in colour.

"Once you're in, go up the stairs and just keep following. Seeya on the other side." He walked straight though the glow, and out of sight. After that a line of people went through, one by one, until he went in just after Calliope. He was greeted on the other side by a small room, and white staircase leading upwards out of it, footsteps echoing along the walls. Calliope's hand slipped back into his as she pulled him upwards, a couple steps ahead of him as they ascended. Once at the top they traversed the corridors until they entered a large ballroom with more than enough space for everyone.

"Morti- _oh my_."

He looked back at her, his eyes widening to match hers. A large glove-print covered her neck, from her reactions he could assume he had the same.

Their death marks.

Alison almost scared the daylights out of him when he caught a glimpse of her. Her neck and face were littered with scratches, a larger one dipping down under her collar.

"In the different worlds it seems that wounds show up in different ways. In the one we've just come from there's auras of sorts, here it's much more realistic, but there's still no pain."

"Well, we have red dust-"

" _Colleen, oh my god_."

They all turned to look at her, Calliope quickly covering her mouth in shock. The girl stood there, small red wounds going from her neck down her torso and likely her legs.

"How, did you die again?"

"Iron Maiden, holy shit I can stick my finger in them." She grinned, giggling slightly in a weird excitement.

"Oh girl please," the two girls who'd gone to get Lele came into view, the taller one had a dark hole in her chest, which she pointed to as she continued, "I can keep snacks in here. Also Liza can do this."

The shorter girl undid the handkerchief around her neck, before lifting her head clean off, to a long list of swears from seventies crowd, and a loudly-whispered _oh that's awesome_ from Roi, who looked fascinated at everything around him while Teala's hand hovered over his neck, a vaguely concerned look on her face as the dark, purple veins that creeped their way across his skin.

"Anyway- _Liza please put your head back on_ \- I think now there's really one thing to do." Shane had made his way onto the stage, raising a golden goblet in the air.

"A toast to us, because we've been through shit and we deserve a goddamn party."

A collective cheer rang through the crowd, followed by laughter, some even triumphantly throwing their fists towards the ceiling.

"So for now, let's enjoy ourselves, because when the sun rises," he looked across the room of people gathered in front of him, "There's a shit ton of catching up to do."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> W O O
> 
> Well, next chapter is the finale! Though there will be a bonus chapter after that. Either way, The One Life you can't Live should hopefully be completed by the end of the week, and then, who knows...
> 
> Thank you for reading, I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and as always, feel free to comment!


	20. Nights Gone By - Mortimer

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> No one really knew how many days had passed, in the real world or in their own, but he didn't mind too much. The sun seemed to shine when they were playing in the gardens and set whenever their games drew to a close, as if time was bending to their will.
> 
> -
> 
> Even when one story ends, another one is only just beginning.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A different kind of style compared to the other chapters. This doesn't take place right after chapter nineteen, but probably a few 'days' later.
> 
> like 1 swear due to me quoting Manny.

_The bad news, if he thought about it, was that they were all dead._

The good news however, was that everyone slotted into their new environments much quicker than Mortimer thought they would. Then again, he had as well.

He was sitting on the veranda of the motel, hidden from the sun as it beat down across the streets. Calliope was curled up beside him, and Alison sat a couple metres away, sipping water from a straw as she kept in the shade. Shouts and laughter came from all over town, echoing around the walls as figures ran past him, smiles plastered across each of their faces as they kick up dust behind them.

No one really knew how many days had passed, in the real world or in their own, but he didn't mind too much. The sun seemed to shine when they were having fun and set whenever their games drew to a close, as if time was bending to their will.

He could see Roi come round the corner and sprint full speed past him as Alex chased after him, Lauren sitting up on his shoulders, both armed with packs of water balloons and a couple water pistols. Someone had found them in the back room of a shop, and paired with t-shirts and shorts gathered from some empty houses, almost the entire afterlife crew was having a giant game of water tag. Though it started off as every man for himself, teams had formed as it began to spiral out of just harmless fun, into probably the biggest competition Mortimer had ever seen. Alison joked that the three of them had made the smart decision of sitting out, just to make sure no one broke anything or fell over, or as Manny called it, _ate shit_.

A crowd of the girls crossed the road at the far end of the street, towels hung around their shoulders as they chattered. He could assume they were probably on their way to the pool. Due to height and hair colours he could make out Gabbie, Liza, Lele and Colleen among the group of about seven. A loud collection of laughs erupted into the air at a comment made, he assumed by Gabbie, who he could distinctly hear yelling, " _What? I was hungry!_ " from where they walked.

~

Thanks to the mansion, in the daytime they could half fun by the pool. They'd found inflatable floats in the same place they found the water balloons. With rope they'd sectioned off different parts of the pools for things like, floats, splash fights, diving and then a part at the far end for Roi to run at full speed and somehow not break every bone in his body and die _again_ as he threw himself towards the water.

Sometimes, in the evening, they had comedy nights in the ballroom. They'd pull up chairs, blankets and pillows and settle down on the floor while someone, usually Gabbie or Liza, took to the stage and the show began. Most jokes played off how they died, or little moments that had recently occurred. One of the best parts of the night was a running-joke throughout every performance, or at least a response. Whenever Gabbie told a particularly bad-while-still-incredible pun, the audience response was " _Gabbie you're heartless_ ", which would spark her onto a list of jokes pertaining on the fact she was indeed, _heartless._

~

The girls had already faded into the distance when he heard a voice from behind him. Both he and Calliope turned around to see a smiling Ro, holding out a tray of homemade ice-lollies for them to try. They gladly took one each, before the girl handed one to Alison and jogged away to offer some to the others.  

~

Rosanna had wasted no time getting to work once she discovered the baking room in the mansion. She spent hours whipping up a storm, and had a brand new recipe or treat ready for taste testing almost every other day. An enchanting smell wafted through the halls, and even if they didn't _need_ to eat, breakfast was always something to look forward to. Combined with the fruit trees and vegetable lots that grew, as if by magic, in the gardens, there was so nothing that she couldn't try and make, and by the end of the day she almost always came out with something that left everyone grinning after only a single bite.

~

He was brought back from his daydreams as Calliope's head fell onto his shoulder, her calming expression still hazily following the action on the streets. He couldn't help but smile as everyone ran past again, even Matt had come out while Lele was at the pool, though Mortimer wasn't sure whether they would have completely annihilated each other if they were both in the game, or if they would keep themselves repelled to opposite sides of the town as usual.

~

Trying to get those two to interact had become a competition in itself. From trapping them in a room to just getting them to exit their separate lairs in the first place. They were either not there at most group gatherings, avoiding each other at said gatherings, or trying to outdo the other person in every single task possible. That last one ranged from who's the fastest to _who can shout the loudest when telling the other person they still do not like them._  Even if Tim kept insisting something was going to happen one day, no one really believed him. One day he even proposed the idea of setting them up on a date as a _fun surprise_ , which prompted Lele, who had come up for a glass of water, to backhand slap him over the head.

~

The activities wrapped up within the hour, the water-fight came to a close without any clear victor, despite what anyone claimed. Even Alison got up and said her goodbyes, heading back to her own room in the mansion. The sun began to set over the horizon, the light fading out and giving in to the pale waves the moon left on the ground.

~

When the night was particularly beautiful they stargazed. They'd set up a makeshift fire, roll over barrels and podiums from the clown tents to rest against, and curl up with each other as the flames illuminated each different constellation in the sky. They all shared stories as the cool breeze mingled with the warm air wafting from the fire, keeping them cosy while also giving possible pairs a reason to cuddle ever so slightly closer because it was still _kinda cold out here_. Even in a little corner, while their friends chattered amongst themselves, the two of them sat huddled together in a corner, sharing a large blanket between them. Sometimes he'd tug the blanket more over to his side, she'd call him an _idiot_ while trying her best to pull it away from him. He always gave it back in the end.

~

He sighed gently, diverting his gaze to Calliope, now fast asleep. He wrapped an arm around her shoulder, looking up to the star-filled sky as he took time to think everything through.

_The bad news was that they were dead. Though somewhere in the back of his mind he couldn't help but believe that this wasn't the end. The end of their lives, sure, but the end of their existences?_

_Every moment of joy, every little bit of peace, like the following minutes after a storm had settled. All of it let him remember one thing._

_This wasn't the end._

_It was only the beginning._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> O H B O Y
> 
> Well I think I can safely say this has been one hell of an experience. A month ago tomorrow ep 8 came out and wrecked my emotions, which prompted this, so uh, thanks Ro(??)
> 
> Either way, that's technically the finale of 'The One Life you can't Live' so thank you so much for read and-
> 
> Wait.
> 
> There's one more chapter to go! It was an idea someone suggested to me that I really liked, though I did edit the concept a little. There's a rare chance it'll be out tomorrow, but it will definitely be out on Sunday for reasons that shall be explained...
> 
> But as always, please feel free to comment, and here's to a good school year for those of you going back (or that have already gone back) and good luck in what ever you do, school, work or just life in general :D
> 
> ~Bird


	21. The Lives Of Those We've Lost - Nikita

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> She was the only one who didn't die, though she couldn't help but feel that, in a way, maybe a little bit of her did.
> 
> -
> 
> Seven lost their lived that night, one got his back, but what about the two still left behind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> eyyyyyy reusing chapter titles aha. I couldn't just let this one not be in the book, I mean, it was the origin of this entire series.
> 
> Also I was debating doing this chapter for Matt, but then decided to switch it over to Nikita. In the end, I'm pretty glad I did.
> 
> also like 1 swear word in here

JC.

_She didn't think twice._

Roi.

_She ran right past him._

Teala.

_She'd said she was weak._

Matt.

_She celebrated._

Colleen.

_She hardly looked back._

Matt again.

_She sent him straight back to work._

Safiya.

_She said she deserved it._

Rosanna.

_She wasn't even there._

Manny.

_She shot him with every bullet in that chamber..._

Nikita's triumphant smile had fallen from her face with each step she took away from the gates of Everlock. The list kept running over and over in her mind, faces that she couldn't erase from the back of her head, she didn't even get to say goodbye to any of them. Even if Matt was walking beside her, she'd already lost him once before. She hardly even knew him, but she knew he deserved to be here, maybe more than she did. Yes, while she'd stepped up to challenges and tasks, she'd never been the puzzle solver, that was his job.

_Though in the end, he still lost the first time around._

The thought came to her that she was the only one who hadn't died that night. Joey had been dead the entire time and they brought Matt back from the grave. She'd gone through three challenges and won every single time, but in turn she'd killed so many. She'd left Roi for dead, she came for Teala again and again, she pushed Colleen straight into those spikes,  _she_ killed Safiya, and maybe, if she talked to the witches instead, she could've saved Ro.

Then there was Manny.

She loved Manny.

He was her best friend, they'd supported and stuck with each other the entire time. Then she had the choice.

She chose to be a fighter.

Fighting always left casualties.

This one just happened to be her best friend.

She could've shot him once, but she didn't, she closed her eyes and used up every last bullet in that pistol. Each one of them was a hit.

_She was the only one who didn't die, though she couldn't help but feel that, in a way, maybe a little bit of her did._

A soft clunk caught her attention as she looked up to see Matt standing by his car, sun reflecting off the blue finish.

"You need a lift?"

She could hear the hint of sarcasm in his voice, but it still cracked a smile on her face none the less.

" _No_ , I'm going to  _skate_  back to LA."

He grinned back at her, setting Blanche on the roof of the car while he retrieved the keys from his pocket. Her gaze faded past him, landing on a bronze and copper van, abandoned on the other side of the road.

"You okay?"

She blinked back into focus, sighing when she couldn't shake the memories out of her head.

"Can we, I don't know, tidy up everyone's rides?"

He shrugged, turning and pointing out the pair of bikes sitting against a fence.

"Sure. There's at least two of them."

They walked away from the car, Nikita pushed Safiya's bike towards the van, while Matt rolled over Roi's motorcycle, JC's skateboard held under his arm.

"Do you think JC got all the way here on this, or did he get a lift to the top of the road?"

Nikita barely heard him, down on her knees and scanning behind the back wheels.

"What are you doing?"

She came up, picking some fallen leaves from the tops of her boots, dusting off dirt from the pair of skates in her hand.

"Where in the?"

"Manny said if I hid them under his van they'd be here when I got back, just in case." She smiled, in reality it took a lot of convincing and multiple ignored " _I'm probably deadlier with these blades_ " excuses before she went through with practically burying her brand-new white skates under the leaves, but at least now she had them back. If she'd left them in the van she'd probably never have seen them again...

"Hey Matt, what do you think happened to them?"

"What do you mean?"

"Like, is there something beyond death? I don't know..."

She heard a muffled grunt, looking up to see Matt pressing a hand to his head.

"Shit, what's wrong?"

"Nothing I just- it's just a headache... It's gone now."

Matt looked dazed, unfocused even. He pressed a hand against the van, steadying himself.

"You good? Did it just come out of nowhere or something?"

"Yeah, yeah... I- it's like I'm forgetting something that I'm just remembering that I forgot."

"Matt, that made literally zero sense."

He nodded, running his hand through his hair and standing up straight again, adjusting his glasses.

"Sorry, what were you saying?"

"I was wondering if there's anything after death, maybe if they're out there somewhere, like if they've been reborn or something or are they just stuck in some limbo-"

"They're okay."

She looked up, confusing showing through in her expression.

"What."

Matt snapped his finger, laughing.

"That's it."

"Once again making no sense-"

"Nikita they're okay."

"How do you know?-"

"Because I died too."

She paused.  _Of course he did._

_Except he came back._

"The church, yeah-"

"No... I only remembered seeing a church but no one else had-"

" _No one else_?"

"Roi, Teala, JC. I saw Colleen too..."

"Matt-"

"It was like the town but more peaceful... They came and they found me, then they took away the pain and-"

"Matt!"

His eyes shot up, meeting hers as a unsure grin danced across his face.

"What do you mean it's like the town? How do you know they're okay?"

"It's the Afterlife... I was there before you brought me back-"

"Why didn't you  _tell us_?"

"I didn't remember... All I saw was the church and then it just went black, and then I was back in the lounge. Time passed right? That must've been where I was."

She took in a deep breath, bringing her hand to her head as she attempted to fully understand  _what in the hell he was talking about_.

"So you're telling me, that our dead friends, are trapped in the hell hole of a town they were murdered in?"

"Well, yes, but it's actually nicer there than the Everlock we saw."

"How?"

"Well it's quieter, for a start, and they each have their own personal rooms- at least JC, Roi and Teala did. They seemed to be enjoying themselves there anyway."

She crossed her arms, staring down at the ground as her skates hung from her hand.

"You think they might be happy there?"

"They were smiling when I left them."

"Let's hope that stayed the same then."

Nikita pushed herself away from the van, giving all the now-abandoned vehicles a glance over, remembering each of the people who left them there. She sighed, Manny's laughter and the sounds of the engine revving when they drove past her at the beginning of the evening floated through her mind. She'd pushed off even harder, gliding past the window, as if she was racing him to see who'd be there first. The sun was still up then.

She turned back to Matt, walking over as he drummed his fingers on the roof of the car, opening up the passenger-side door for her.

"Ready to get going?"

She nodded, sliding in, throwing her roller-skates into the back, and doing up her seat-beat just as Matt fired up the engine. She took a deep breath, closing her eyes, gently opening them again when she felt something nudge her elbow. Looking over she saw Matt holding out Blanche, who she gladly took. She held the pony close like a kind of stress toy, or a therapy animal. Matt was right, he'd mentioned it when they left the gates and despite being quick to dismiss it, Blanche's colour palette really did match Nikita's, her dress almost blending in with it's soft, hot-pink coat, while her blonde hair fell across the plush's white mane.

"Let's get out of this nightmare?"

She gave him a thumbs up, her gaze set on the road straight ahead.

"No better time than the present."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's a wrap!
> 
> Though sometimes the end is only the beginning.
> 
> I've used that line too much, though I have a reason to. If you check on my page you'll see a new story...
> 
> Afterlife Adventures!
> 
> When writing this story I got a bunch of ideas for one-shots or scenarios involving our afterlife squad so, like it sounds, it's going to be a book complied of little stories set in the afterlife, some of which may have already been briefly covered in the last chapter.
> 
> Though for now, this story is still over, I want to thank you all for taking the time to read it, whether you've read it all in one go or if you've been here since the beginning. Thank you all.
> 
> See you in another life <3
> 
> ~Bird
> 
> -
> 
> Finally, as this story reaches it's end, we've reached 1500 hits! Just wanted to say thank you again for that :D

**Author's Note:**

> I finished this at like 4 am holy crap oops
> 
> -
> 
> So I really enjoyed writing this thing for Safiya so why not just try to write it out for each of them? Plus this gives me motivation to write more so it's a win win. I hope you enjoy!
> 
> (Also if this is the first part then The Lives of those we've Lost is like part 12 so I'll add that to the series when the time comes)
> 
> Comments and feedback are greatly appreciated, seriously any comment usually makes me grin like an idiot so please fire away!
> 
> -
> 
> I didn't know where to put this so have it here. I'm having lunch and all of a sudden I hear these piano chords in the background and I just s t o p.
> 
> It Saturn.
> 
> They're playing Saturn.
> 
> A A A A A A A A A

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [The Beginnings of the Ended](https://archiveofourown.org/works/15893487) by [Bird_Of_Scarlet](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bird_Of_Scarlet/pseuds/Bird_Of_Scarlet), [Unoriginal_Username](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Unoriginal_Username/pseuds/Unoriginal_Username)




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